Are Paint Fumes Safe for Kids and Pets?
Paint releases chemical vapours into the air while it dries, and the people and animals in the house breathe that air. Families with young children or pets want to know whether those fumes are harmful, and the same question comes up during pregnancy.
This article explains what paint fumes are and how Canadian regulations limit them, what low-VOC and zero-VOC labels mean, and which certifications measure what a painted wall releases into a room.
It then covers the specific concerns for children, pregnancy, dogs and cats, and pet birds, along with the separate risk of lead in the paint of older homes. The final sections cover ventilation during the job and the days after the painters finish.
What Paint Fumes Are
Paint contains volatile organic compounds, or VOCs, which evaporate into the air as the paint dries. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) lists eye, nose and throat irritation and headaches among the immediate symptoms that some people experience after VOC exposure.
In Canada, federal regulations set a maximum VOC level for each type of paint, so any paint bought from a Canadian store already meets the limit for its type.
Water-based paint, also called latex, releases fewer chemicals than oil-based paint, and the EPA’s guidance on indoor painting states that short-term exposure to solvents from oil-based paint can be significantly higher than from latex.
Primers and the paint used on trim and doors are not always the same type as the wall paint, so homeowners can ask the painter which product will go on each surface.
Low-VOC and Zero-VOC Labels
Paint stores add colour to a base paint at the time of purchase, and a low-VOC or zero-VOC claim on the base can describes the paint before that colour goes in. Sherwin-Williams states that conventional colourants often add VOCs, so the final level depends on the colour chosen.
Some manufacturers make colourants that add no VOCs, and a homeowner who wants zero-VOC paint in a deep colour can have the painter confirm that the tinted product still qualifies.
Two independent certifications go beyond the label and test what dried paint releases into a room:
- UL GREENGUARD Gold limits emissions of more than 360 VOCs and is intended for products used in nurseries, schools and healthcare facilities.
- The asthma & allergy friendly certification tests a paint’s emissions over the two weeks after it is applied and screens the formula for chemicals that trigger allergies.
A homeowner can ask for paint with either certification for a nursery or for the bedroom of someone with asthma.
Tresham Painting offers low-VOC paint as part of its eco-friendly painting service, and the company can list the specific product for each room on the written estimate along with the colour and sheen.
Children and Pregnancy
The EPA advises keeping young children and anyone with breathing problems out of freshly painted rooms, and recommends that everyone avoid those rooms for two to three days after painting whenever possible.
A child whose bedroom has been painted can sleep in another room for those nights, and a nursery painted a week or more before the due date has time to air out before the baby moves in.
While the job is underway, children are safer outside the work area. Wet paint on door frames and baseboards is within a small child’s reach, and ladders and paint trays are easy to knock over.
Tommy’s, a UK pregnancy charity, states that painting with modern paint or being around paint fumes is unlikely to harm a developing baby, although the risk may be slightly greater with solvent-based paints and older paintwork.
The EPA recommends that pregnant women avoid doing painting projects themselves and limit their time in freshly painted rooms, especially when oil-based paint is used. Hiring painters covers the first recommendation, and spending the following days in other rooms covers the second.
Dogs and Cats
According to VCA Animal Hospitals, water-based paints are in most cases unlikely to cause dogs and cats more than an upset stomach or skin irritation.
Oil-based paints and varnishes carry more risk because they contain solvents that can make breathing difficult if a pet inhales them into its lungs. Fumes from any type of paint can also irritate a pet’s eyes and airways in a poorly ventilated room.
Keeping dogs and cats in a separate part of the house, away from the rooms being painted, prevents contact with wet surfaces and open trays.
If paint does get on a pet’s fur, it can be washed off with mild dish soap or trimmed out with clippers. VCA warns against using paint thinner or mineral spirits on a pet’s skin without a veterinarian’s direction, and states that leaving some paint on the fur is better than causing further injury.
Pet Birds
Avian veterinary guidance from the MSPCA describes the bird respiratory system as particularly sensitive to inhaled toxins, and the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center lists paints and glues among the inhaled substances that are harmful to pet birds.
Because fumes spread through the air of the whole house, closing the door of the painted room does not protect a bird kept elsewhere in the home.
The ASPCA’s first step for a bird exposed to fumes is to move it away from the source and give it fresh air. During a paint job, the bird can stay with a friend or relative while the work is done and for two to three days afterward.
If the bird has to stay home, its cage can go in the room farthest from the painting, with a window open to the outside.
Lead in Older Paint
Health Canada states that a house built before 1960 probably contains lead-based paint, and a house built between 1960 and 1990 may have lead paint on the exterior.
Sanding or heating lead paint creates toxic dust and fumes. Health Canada warns that even small amounts of lead dust are dangerous to infants and children, and that unborn children are also at risk.
Health Canada advises keeping children and pregnant women away from any work that disturbs lead paint. Pets need the same protection, since VCA identifies lead-based paint as the most serious paint hazard they face. Parrots can also be exposed by chewing on painted surfaces.
In a house built before 1990, the paint can be tested before any sanding or scraping begins, either on site by a contractor with an X-ray detector or by a laboratory that analyzes paint chip samples.
Ventilating During the Job
The EPA gives these instructions for removing fumes from the house during a paint job:
- Doors and windows should be opened to the outdoors, not to hallways that lead to other rooms.
- A box fan placed in a window and set to blow outward pulls vapours out of the room being painted.
- An air conditioner should not be used in place of a fan.
- Bathroom and kitchen exhaust fans do not always vent outdoors, so the EPA advises against relying on them.
Cold weather makes it harder to keep windows open during a Niagara winter, so households with a newborn or a pet bird can schedule interior painting for spring or early fall, when windows can remain open for several days.
After the Painters Finish
The EPA describes the belief that dry paint is safe as a misconception, since some paints contain solvents or drying oils that take several days to dissipate.
The EPA’s guidance is to keep windows open, as weather permits, for about two to three days after painting and, for some paints, to run fans during that period. It also advises anyone who develops watery eyes, a headache, dizziness or breathing problems in a freshly painted room to leave it.
A tightly closed lid keeps a can of leftover paint from leaking vapours, and a garage or shed keeps it away from bedrooms and living areas.
Paint that will not be needed for touch-ups can be taken to a municipal depot that accepts paint, and Niagara Region, the City of Hamilton and Halton Region each operate one.
A Safer Paint Job
Most of the decisions that limit a household’s exposure to paint fumes are made before the job starts. The choice of product determines how much a painted room releases, and the schedule determines how long young children, pregnant family members, dogs and cats, and pet birds stay away from those rooms.
In a house built before 1990, a lead test before any sanding or scraping is part of the same planning. After the painters finish, the household keeps the windows open for two to three days and stores any leftover paint in sealed cans away from living areas.
If anyone in your home has asthma, allergies or chemical sensitivities, or if you have a newborn or a pet bird, mention it when you book your estimate so the products and schedule can be planned around your household. Contact Tresham Painting for a free quote on your next interior project.
Tresham Painting serves homeowners across the Niagara region, including St. Catharines, Fonthill and Grimsby, as well as Stoney Creek, Hamilton, Burlington and Oakville.
