Is latex paint harmful to pregnant women?

The appearance of latex paint is better than ordinary whitewashed walls, and latex paint is stronger, can reduce the phenomenon of powder loss, and does not require scraping, so many people choose to use latex paint to decorate their houses. However, for many parents and pregnant women, using latex paint does make people worry about whether it will be harmful to the body. So, is there any harm to pregnant women when using latex paint?

Is latex paint toxic?

poisonous.

Latex paint (latex paint is also a general term for a large category of products) is a water-based paint. Their paint film performance is much better than that of solvent-based coatings; and half of the organic solvents in solvent-based coatings are replaced by water here. Therefore, the toxicity problem of organic solvents has been basically completely solved by latex paint. However, not all latex paints are 100% non-toxic and harmless.

Harmful substances that may be contained in latex paint include:

1. Formaldehyde: Formaldehyde can irritate the eyes, throat, cause skin allergies, and even trigger asthma.

2. Other organic solvents: including dichloromethane, chloroform, benzene, toluene, etc., are harmful to the human body.

3. Heavy metals: including lead, cadmium, chromium, mercury, etc. Harmful to the nervous system, cardiovascular system and genetics.

Since not all latex paints are non-toxic and harmless, how can we distinguish the quality of latex paint?

1. Leveling performance of latex paint. Use a wooden stick or a small spoon to stir the latex paint evenly, then lift the small spoon to a high place and observe the flow of the latex paint. If it falls in chunks, the leveling performance is poor. If the latex paint flows in lines, it means that the latex paint has a certain leveling performance. Then add water to the latex paint according to the ratio in the construction manual, apply it on the non-absorbent surface with a stiff brush, and after it dries, the smoother the surface of the coating, the better the leveling performance.

2. Construction performance of latex paint. Dilute the latex paint according to the ratio in the construction manual, apply it on the non-absorbent surface with a wool brush, and feel it carefully. The smoother the feel, the better the construction performance. It should be noted that in some high-end latex paints, manufacturers often add additives to control the thickness of the paint in order to achieve a good fullness when the paint is used on the wall. When these additives are added to latex paint, there will be a "brush pulling" feeling.

3. Washability of latex paint. Dilute the latex paint according to the proportions in the construction manual and apply it on a solid base. Maintain it normally for more than a week, and gently wipe it with a dark wet towel. The more times you wipe before obvious white marks appear on the towel, the better the washability of the latex paint. If it is a low-end engineering paint, it will require longer maintenance.

4. The hiding ability of latex paint. Find a clean old newspaper and use your fingers to apply the paint as thinly as possible on the areas where the type size and density are relatively uniform. After it dries, observe the degree of blurriness of the type. The blurrier the type, the higher the covering power of the latex paint. This method is more suitable for comparing two different latex paints.