| Benzyl
Alcohol |
Highly
volatile. Can cause problems with the central nervous
system, headache, nausea, vomiting, dizziness, drop
in blood pressure, depression, and death in severe cases
due to respiratory failure. |
Very
High |
Methylene Chloride
In most cases, the main ingredient in paint strippers
and coatings removal products is Dichloromethane,
also known as Methylene Chloride. This material is
associated with health problems and is listed as a
class III carcinogen in the European Union.
Caustics
While more environmentally-friendly than solvents-based
products, caustic-based stripper systems are hazardous
to the user. Furthermore, some caustic-based stripper
systems contain other ingredients including, in some
cases, hazardous solvents.Caustics are corrosive and
can cause severe burns to skin and eyes, even on short
contact, and are highly toxic if swallowed. Using
these highly alkali products can damage glue, raise
wood grain and discolour woods. Furthermore, after
the paint has been stripped off, caustic-based products
need to be "neutralized" with one of a range
of acid-based solutions. These acid-based solutions
are also corrosive, cause skin burns and are even
more toxic than the caustic products themselves. When
this "neutralization" process is left out,
any new coatings that are applied to the substrate
may start to peel off, and the treated area would
leech out white efflorescent and toxic salts, which
can be extremely hazardous to human health, particularly
for children.
Other Solvents
Some products have substituted other hazardous solvents
as a replacement for Methylene Chloride, but these
materials are hazardous to human health. Furthermore,
they contain high VOC levels, and are thus even more
damaging to the environment.
The following table summarizes are a number of ingredients
found in paint strippers and coatings removal systems
that are on the market, including supposedly "safe"
strippers. As you can see, these substances are known
to be hazardous both to human health and to our environment.
Furthermore, Eco Solutions have collected a series
of articles on issues that mention paint strippers
and their effect on health, safety and the environment
from various sources, which you can find by clicking
here
Flame ionization detection tests done by an independent
laboratory have confirmed that Eco Solutions' products
contain 0.000004% VOC's, whereas "conventional"
solvent-based strippers can have 70% or more VOC content
- thousands of times more!!! |
