Posted by Larry Hoover on August 25, 2004, at 8:57:37
In reply to Q about paint dust, posted by zeugma on August 24, 2004, at 19:13:31
> I have a closet that I haven't gone near in about five years, because I noticed paint was disintegrating and leaving a dust over evrerything. A friend I spoke to at the time told me I should tell the super of my building, but at the time I was too dysfunctional to want anyone in my apt. And as thinking about the problem made me nervous, I just avoided it.
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> Now I'm becoming a little more functional, and am trying to keep up maintainance of my apt. I also need a certain document which I think is in there. Should I be concerned about inhaling paint dust if I use a hand vacuum? I need feedback because I am always afraid of inhaling toxins but I really need that document.
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> Thanks,
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> zIf there enough dust that you can see it when you disturb something, I'd say there's a risk. It's not so much about toxins as it is about inhaling fine particles. Really, if this is a maintenance issue, can you not take it up with your landlord?
Paint is made up of three components. One is an emulsion (latex) or a resin (oil paint) that will bind the pigments when the paint dries. Another is the pigment, the part that makes the paint opaque (tinting is another subcomponent, but there's really very little tint). The third is the solvent, whatever it is that dries out of the paint to leave the film behind. That's water in latex paints, and organic solvent in oil paints.
OK, what you have there is really really cheap latex paint. The most expensive component of paint is the binder. Cheap paint skimps on binders (you get what you pay for), and the paint never hardens properly, making it prone to chalking. That's nothing more than free pigment. Household latex paint uses titanium dioxide as the pigment. It's really quite inert, from a toxicological perspective. The problem is how fine the dust is. You don't want to breathe it in, because it can get deep into your lungs, and it might give you some trouble getting your lungs clear again (that's what mucus is for, but there's no point overloading the normal dust-removal process).
To do it right, you need a proper dust mask (not those paper cones), and a vacuum with HEPA filter capability. That's maybe something you can rent, but I think the landlord should be dealing with this, not you? If you use your hand-held vac, and it has a cloth bag, dampen it before you start. It will probably clog (listen for the motor tone to increase in pitch), but cleaning the filter a few times is less hassle than clearing your lungs. Either way, get a proper mask.
Lar
poster:Larry Hoover
thread:381874
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/health/20040729/msgs/382061.html