Interior Latex Research Articles

Simplification of interior latex paint using biopolymer to replace rheological additives and calcium carbonate extender

Simplification of interior latex paint using biopolymer to replace rheological additives and calcium carbonate extender

Improving the Accuracy of a Hygrothermal Model for Wood-Frame Walls: A Cold-Climate Study

A one-dimensional transient hygrothermal model was used to simulate eight different wood-frame wall assemblies. Simulations were compared with measured results from a two-year field study exploring the effects of exterior insulation on wall moisture performance in a cold-climate. The field study documented the moisture content, temperature, and relative humidity measurements in wall assemblies using oriented strand board (OSB) sheathing. Simulations were performed using generic design input values as well as input values based on measurements or sensitivity analysis. Laboratory material property measurements informed the choice of material property values in the improved model for OSB, asphalt-coated kraft paper, and interior latex paint. Simulations using improved input values typically agreed with field measurements within measurement error. The most significant model improvements were all related to vapor permeance. The vinyl siding used an effective permeance much lower than typically recommended. However, both the extruded polystyrene insulation and the asphalt-coated kraft paper facing on the cavity fiberglass insulation had higher permeance than literature values.

Environmental and human health impact assessment of major interior wall decorative materials

Despite the growing interest in green products in the interior wall decorative material market, knowledge gaps exist because determining which product is more environmental and user friendly than the others is difficult. This work assesses the environmental and human health profiles of interior latex and wallpaper. Two interior latex products of different raw material ratios and one non-woven wallpaper product are considered. The environmental impact assessment follows life cycle assessment (LCA) methodology and applies Building Environmental Performance Analysis System (BEPAS). The human health impact is based on impact-pathway chain and is performed using Building Health Impact Analysis System (BHIAS). The assessment scope, associated emissions, and territorial scope of various emissions are defined to facilitate comparison study of interior wall decorative products. The impacts are classified into 15 categories belonging to three safeguard areas: ecological environment, natural resources, and human health. The impacts of categories are calculated and monetized using willingness to pay (WTP) and disability-adjusted life year (DALY) and summarized as an integrated external cost of environmental and human health impacts. Assessment results reveal that the integrated impact of interior latex is lower than that of non-woven wallpaper, and the interior latex of low quality causes low life cycle integrated impact. The most impacted categories are global warming, respiratory effects, and water consumption. Hotspots of product manufacturing are recognized to promote green product design.

Preparation of Interior Latex Coatings by Recycling Banknote Printing Wastewater

This paper related to the recycling of banknote printing wastewater, using which as raw materials, a low cost interior latex coatings has been developed. This coatings is formulated based on styrene-acrylic emulsion and silicon sol as main film former. It has been shown that the performance of of this product meets the state standard of GB/T 9756-2009.

Use of Plastic Mulch for Successive Crops

ABSTRACT Using plastic mulch for multiple (successive) crops spreads the installation and removal costs of plastic mulch and drip irrigation tubing over two or more crops, thus reducing the cost per crop. When using plastic mulch for a summer crop, white rather than black is preferred to reflect light and reduce soil temperature. Painting black mulch white allows the reuse of black mulch from a winter/spring crop. A study was conducted to determine the effect of the amount of white interior latex paint used to coat black plastic mulch on production of yellow summer squash (Cucurbitapepo var. melopepo (L.) Alef.). Ratios of 1:1, 1:2, and 1:4 (paint:water) were applied in a band on top of the bed at broadcast equivalent rates (BER) of 225, 450, and 900 l/ha (24, 48, and 96 gal/a). Spring 2000, fall 2000, and summer 2001 plantings of ‘Lemon Drop’ squash were seeded through the painted mulch. Rate of paint per acre had little effect on yield results. Regardless of paint: water ratio or application rate of the...

Human health and the environment: are physician educators lagging behind?

IN THE PAST 2 DECADES, NUMEROUS HOUSEHOLD AND INDUStrial products have been conclusively linked to human disease. Lead, carbon monoxide, and asbestos are the best known environmental toxins. Research has also established associations of in utero exposure to polychlorinated biphenyls with intelligence quotient deficits in children; mercury in interior latex paint with neurologic disorders; pollutants in drinking water with malignancies of the skin, lymph, and bone marrow. Most recently, dieldrin, an organochlorine used in pesticides, has been associated with a significantly increased, dose-related risk of breast cancer. In response to these accumulating data, 2 national organizations have taken steps to establish a permanent foothold for environmental medicine in US medical education. The National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) has awarded over $13 million to US medical schools for the inclusion of environmental medicine in traditional academic curricula. And, the Institute of Medicine has recommended that all medical students acquire basic skills in eliciting an “exposure history” and a knowledge of the risk factors for environmental diseases.

Novel wet adhesion monomers for use in latex paints

Coating failure through loss of adhesion is a common occurrence with latex paints especially when applied to previously painted alkyd surfaces. Wet adhesion promoters are used by the industry to overcome these deficiencies. This paper provides an overview of the technical effort at Cytec which has led to the discovery of a series of new wet adhesion monomers. Three such monomers have been under active development. At least one of these is expected to be available in developmental quantities later this year. These monomers are targeted at improving the wet adhesion performance of exterior and interior latex paints which are frequently exposed to moisture due to rain and/or high humidity. They have been incorporated into latex polymers which, when formulated into exterior latex paints, show excellent wet adhesion properties. Wet scrub test results on aged alkyd coated Laneta panels are discussed, along with comparative data on a currently available monomer.

Ozone Reactive Chemistry on Interior Latex Paint

The heterogeneous chemistry of ozone on interior latex paint was investigated in a tube flow reactor. The emissions of several polar volatile organic compounds (VOCs) including organic acids and carbonyls (aldehydes and ketones) were measured while a glass tube coated with latex paint was exposed to clean air and ozone. Four different commercial brands of latex paint were tested. Formic and acetic acids were not found to be generated via ozone reactions ; however, both were found to off-gas from the latex paints, and the off-gasing increased with increasing relative humidity. The off-gasing rates are large enough, particularly for acetic acid, to impact residential concentrations significantly. Formaldehyde was found to be produced by reactions related to the ozone concentration. There was some evidence that acetaldehyde and acetone may also be produced by processes related to the ozone concentration. A steady-state model is presented that is used to extrapolate the chamber results to a representative indoor environment. The model is based on an experimentally derived parameter termed the VOC formation factor, which is defined as the number of VOC molecules of a particular species formed via an ozone reaction divided by the total number of ozone molecules sticking to the surface. Using this model, it was found that formaldehyde production via ozone reactions is significant enough to impact indoor concentrations of formaldehyde.

Root Distribution and Mineral Uptake of Coarse-rooted Trees Grown in Cupric Hydroxide-treated Containers

Seedlings of nine coarse-rooted species–sawtooth oak (Quercus acutissima Carruth), white oak (Q. alba L.), cherrybark oak (Q. falcata var. pagodifolia Elliott), post oak (Q. stellata Wangenh.), black walnut (Juglans nigra L.), pignut hickory [Carya glabra (Mill.) Sweet], pecan [C. illinoinensis (Wangenh.) C. Koch], Chinese chestnut (Castanea mollissima Blume), and common baldcypress [Taxodium distichum (L.) L. Rich]—were grown for one growing season in nontreated containers or in containers treated on their interior surfaces with white interior latex paint containing 100 g Cu(OH)2/liter. Seedlings of each species and container treatment were harvested twice: once after being transplanted from 3.2- to 15.0-liter containers and at the end of the growing season. Cupric hydroxide-treated containers decreased the amount of circled, kinked, and matted roots formed at the container wall-medium interface in all species tested. Plants grown in Cu(OH)2-treated containers also had altered root dry-weight partitioning. The partitioning patterns were species specific and included 6% to 20% increases in the percentage of root dry weight in interior vs. exterior portions of the rootball (white oak, black walnut, Chinese chestnut, and baldcypress), 10% to 21% increases in the percentage of root dry weight in upper vs. lower halves of the rootball (sawtooth oak, cherrybark oak, black walnut, and baldcypress), and an increase in the percentage of primary lateral roots (lateral roots originating from taproots or roots functioning as taproots) on the upper (proximal) half of taproots (cherrybark oak, pecan, and baldcypress). Nutrients in leaves, stems, and roots of sawtooth oak seedlings were analyzed at both harvests. Seedlings grown in Cu(OH)2-treated containers had more Cu in most plant tissues than nontreated seedlings. Also, seedlings grown in Cu(OH)2-treated containers had higher total Ca and Mg concentrations at transplanting and higher total N and Zn concentrations at the end of the growing season than nontreated seedlings.

POST-TRANSPLANT WATER RELATIONS AND GROWTH RESPONSES OF `RED SUNSET' RED MAPLE TREES TO ROOT PRUNING AND Cu (OH)2-TREATED CONTAINER PRODUCTION

Rooted cuttings of Acer rubrum `Red Sunset' grown in containers treated on interior surfaces with 100 g Cu(OH)2/liter white interior latex paint, or left untreated, were root pruned or not root pruned and planted in a field plot. A pseudo-bareroot treatment, trees from untreated containers shaken free of media, was included. Height (115 vs. 108 cm) and caliper (12.0 vs. 10.7 mm) at transplant was slightly greater for copper treated trees than for untreated trees. Leaf water potentials (LWP) at transplant were similar for all treatments. Mid-day LWP of trees transplanted from untreated containers tended to be lower than that of trees grown in copper treated containers at days 3, 14, 28, and 53 after transplant. Pseudo-bareroot trees had the most negative mid-day and pre-dawn LWP through day 92. Soil water potentials were from -0.01 to -0.03MPa.

Indoor air mercury concentrations following application of interior latex paint

Mercury vapors are released from paint containing mercury compounds used to prolong the shelf-life of interior latex paint. To determine whether homes recently painted with paint containing mercury had elevated indoor-air mercury concentrations, we studied 37 Ohio homes. Twenty-one homes painted with mercury-containing paint a median of 86 days earlier were compared with 16 homes not recently painted with mercury-containing paint. Paint samples from the exposed homes contained a median of 210 mg Hg/L (range 120-610 mg/L). The median air mercury concentration was higher in the exposed homes (0.3 microgram/m3; range nondetectable--1.5 microgram/m3) than in the unexposed homes (nondetectable; range nondetectable--0.3 microgram/m3, P less than 0.0001). Among the exposed homes there were seven in which paint containing less than 200 mg/L had been applied. In these homes, the median air mercury concentration was 0.2 microgram/m3 (range nondetectable--1 microgram/m3). Six (33%) exposed homes had air mercury concentrations greater than 0.5 microgram/m3, the acceptable indoor concentration recommended by the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry. Elemental mercury was the form of mercury released into the air. These data demonstrate that potentially hazardous mercury exposure may occur in homes recently painted with paint that contains mercury concentrations less than 200 mg/L.

CHEMICAL ROOT PRUNING OF SAWTOOTH OAK WITH COPPER SULFATE

Interior surfaces of tube trays were painted with white exterior acrylic latex paint and white interior latex paint containing 0, 50, or 300 gm/1 copper sulfate. Germinated Quercus acutissima seedlings were used to study chemical root pruning effects and subsequent root regeneration. After 16 weeks, only 0.73 roots per seedling continued growth after being deflected by the tubewall painted with 100gm/1 compared with 3.67 for the control. Fibrous roots were reduced when in contact with cu treated surfaces. Height and caliper were not affected at any treatment level. Three weeks after transplanting to larger untreated containers, height and caliper were still unaffected by any cu treatment. Time required for regeneration of new roots was not affected by cu treatments.

Mercury Exposure from Interior Latex Paint

Mercury Exposure from Interior Latex Paint

Mercury Poisoning and Latex Paint

Mercury poisoning manifested as acrodynia, reported in a four year old boy in Michigan ten day after the inside of his home was painted with 64 liters of interior latex paint containing phenylmercuric acetate, prompted an investigation by the Division of Environmental Hazards and Health Effects, Centers for Disease Control, Atlanta, GA.

Mercury Exposure from Interior Latex Paint

Many paint companies have used phenylmercuric acetate as a preservative to prolong the shelf life of interior latex paint. In August 1989, acrodynia, a form of mercury poisoning, occurred in a child exposed to paint fumes in a home recently painted with a brand containing 4.7 mmol of mercury per liter (at that time the Environmental Protection Agency's recommended limit was 1.5 mmol or less per liter). To determine whether the recent use of that brand of paint containing phenylmercuric acetate was associated with elevated indoor-air and urinary mercury concentrations, we studied 74 "exposed" persons living in 19 homes recently painted with the brand and 28 "unexposed" persons living in 10 homes not recently painted with paint containing mercury. The paint samples from the homes of exposed persons contained a median of 3.8 mmol of mercury per liter, and air samples from the homes had a median mercury content of 10.0 nmol per cubic meter (range, less than 0.5 to 49.9). No mercury was detected in paint or air samples from the homes of unexposed persons. The median urinary mercury concentration was higher in the exposed persons (4.7 nmol of mercury per millimole of creatinine; range, 1.4 to 66.5) than in the unexposed persons (1.1 nmol per millimole; range, 0.02 to 3.9; P less than 0.001). Urinary mercury concentrations within the range that we found in exposed persons have been associated with symptomatic mercury poisoning. We found that potentially hazardous exposure to mercury had occurred among persons whose homes were painted with a brand of paint containing mercury at concentrations approximately 2 1/2 times the Environmental Protection Agency's recommended limit.

Paint makers to remove mercurial biocides

The Environmental Protection Agency has announced that paint manufacturers have voluntarily agreed to eliminate mercurial biocides from interior latex paints. New labeling requirements and use of substitutes are estimated by EPA to cost the industry up to $50 million for a market worth only $10 million annually, according to the Chemical Economics Handbook. While available evidence suggests that mercury poisoning is rare, EPA is concerned about the potential risks to public health and the environment, says EPA assistant administrator for pesticides and toxic substances Linda J. Fisher. The compounds, including primarily phenylmercuric acetate, are used as preservatives in interior paints and as mildew preventatives in exterior paints. All use of mercury compounds in interior paints will stop by Aug. 20. Exterior paints will be allowed to contain some mercury, but will have to be clearly labeled. The National Paint & Coatings Association, which represents paint manufacturers, has vowed to continue cooper...

Mercury Exposure from Interior Latex Paint—Michigan

Mercury Exposure from Interior Latex Paint—Michigan

Laboratory Evaluation of Lacquer Formulated Fenvalerate Against German Cockroaches, 1988

Abstract A laboratory study was conducted to determine the efficacy of a lacquer insecticide formulation (lacquer carried similar to Killmaster° carrier) on painted pine panels, through time. The treatments were 0.20, 0.33 and 0.50% AI fenvalerate (in lacquer carrier). Pine panels (232.25 cm2) were painted with 2 coats of interior semi-gloss latex paint, then a 4 mm deep circular groove was cut into the surface of the wood, so that an inverted plastic petri dish cover (92 mm diam) could retain cockroaches on the test surfaces. The insecticide surfaces were prepared by pipeting a 1 ml solution of the lacquer fenvalerate formulation onto each painted panel, and distributing it with a saturated natural bristle brush. The treated panels were then held horizontally in the dark at 25°C until bioassay. Three panels for each treatment (fenvalerate at 0.20, 0.33 & 0.50 % AI) were utilized at 1, 7, 14, 30, 60 and 90 d after insecticide application for the assay. A total of 54 painted panels were used in this assay, in which each panel was only used once. Ten male German cockroaches, Orlando normal susceptible strain, were anesthetized and positioned on the treated surfaces and confined by the petri dish covers. Mortality (moribund cockroaches were considered dead) was recorded at 0.50, 1.0, 2.0, 3.0, 4.0, 5.0, 6.0, 8.0, 12.0, 24.0, 48.0 & 72.0 hrs after placement, with the cockroaches experiencing continuous exposure to the insecticide surface. Mortality data were analyzed by probit analysis, which yielded mean LTgo values express in hr for each treatment and insecticide residue age combination.

High Level Grafting of Grapevines

High-level cleft or notch grafts made on <i>Vitis vinifera</i> L. grapevines at 2 to 3 feet above the ground surface were equally successful although the notch grafts made smoother unions. Bark grafts were less successful. Notch grafts made in mid-April, about a month after bud burst but prior to bark slippage, were equal or superior to earlier grafting. Painting the scions and the black asphalt-water emulsion grafting compound with white interior latex or vinyl paints improved the success of either early or late grafts. These paints reduced moisture loss from the scion wood.