The walls of a room occupy the maximum area and are mostly more noticeable- even more than the flooring and the furnishings. For this reason alone, the kind of paints that one uses on the walls majorly impacts the over-all look of the house. They not only change the aesthetics of the room but also its atmosphere.

Some paints spoil the indoor air quality of the home. There are three major components that paints have – a pigment or colour component, a binder that holds the pigment to the surface and a solvent (mineral spirits or water) to dissolve the pigments. Included in these components are volatile organic compounds (VOCs) which are harmful to the health of occupants. VOCs such as ethyl, acetate, glycol ethers etc. are some common chemicals used as solvents. These chemicals are known to have harmful effects on human health. Some effects may be mild, like irritation in the eyes or throat, headaches, and mild nausea. But, there could also be some long-term effects like liver and kidney damage, and respiratory issues.

The environment, too, is at the receiving end of several detrimental effects. The by-products and waste of the paint industry are harmful to the environment and contribute immensely to the carbon footprint.

In the face of such damaging results, it became an urgent matter for paint companies to reconsider the components of paints. What came next was the creation of eco-friendly non-toxic paints. Eco paints available in India can be classified into three types-

• Zero-VOC paints: In such paints, the level of volatile compounds is so low that it is almost negligible. Hence, these paints are called zero-VOC paints.
• Low-VOC paints: These are the paints in which VOC is between the range of 5 to 200 grams per litre.
• Natural paints: These paints are made of natural compounds, such as tree resins, plant oils, water, essential oils, natural dyes etc. They do not contain any VOCs.

More and more companies are launching eco-friendly paints. In India, Asian Paints, Berger Paints, Dulux India and Kansai Nerolac offer a wide range of such paints.

According to the guidelines of US Green Building Council and IGBC for LEED, non-flat paints must not have a VOC of more than 150 grams/litre and flat paints must not have a VOC of more than 50 grams/litre.

Low-VOC paints help in reducing other pollutants during the construction process. When the VOC content is low in paints, they leave fewer fumes after application. While these eco paints are more expensive than regular paints, these are also long-lasting. Overall, these paints are better for one's health and for the environment.