Just curious, when I bought a tube of latex caulk a month or so ago, oddly enough, I read the label. It had warnings about use in well ventilated area, avoid getting it on your hands/skin, possible dizziness, get outside to fresh air if one becomes dizzy. Similar warnings on latex paint when I looked at a can the other day.
For someone who has put uncounted “miles” on 18″ paint rollers, brushes and caulk guns, this doesn’t quite make sense to me. Isn’t the whole purpose of latex caulk/paint being more user friendly? Is their real danger with this stuff?
Is this thought up by lawyers?-most medicine, even over the counter stuff, now, no matter what it is basically says “This can kill you or wrack you up”. So maybe the language covers the maker if you somehow die or get sick?
Has something changed now that I might be overcome while caulking my shower or cutting in the baseboards in an apartment repaint?
All answers are appreciated. I’d really like to know others thoughts. And perhaps someone from the industry will weigh in.
Edited 2/15/2009 11:47 pm ET by djms
Replies
leagal CYA to protect against the idiots out there????
Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming
WOW!!! What a Ride!
Forget the primal scream, just ROAR!!!
I grew up thinking that water based/water clean up products were quite benign. About ten years ago I went skiing with a guy who had some DIY home repair background and was also in some sort of medical career.
We got to talking in the car about different projects including painting and he strongly cautioned me to use latex paint products in a well ventilated room as he claimed there were problematic chemicals such as ammonia in most of them.
I never looked into it and quite honestly the only time I worried about the airborne chemicals in interior latex paint was when my kids were newborns.
Never hurts to have some extra fresh air whether or not the chemicals are harmful.
Karl
If you are in the business, you should have the MSDS on all such materials along with training on how to read them and what precautions to take. Amine ammonia is one of the ingredients that are potentially dangerous. Wear your PPE and have plenty of ventilation. I think ammonia is also listed as a carcinogen. The only thing that has changed is workers are now being informed of dangers they may be exposed to.
Beat it to fit / Paint it to match
Around here both latex paints and joint compound have to be
certified non-VOC to be used inside the house. That's a new one
to me, I had no idea the JC was toxic.
Some people can develope an allergy to Latex based products, had a buddy that got to the point he could not spray latex without a respirator. If he touched paint for any length of time he would break out in hives.
I'm no expert on the subject, but I take my cues from Jeff Jewett, a world-renowned finishing expert. He says that water-based finishes (and by extension, we should include caulks) can and do contain VOC's, it's just that many of them have little or no odor. Without that strong chemical smell we associate with oil-based products, we perceive them as safe, when they in fact may still be rather harmful.
Conrad