What's VOC?

By now you’ve probably heard of the term “VOC” when talking about paints and finishes. Like many you’re probably wondering what this exactly means. VOC stands for Volatile Organic Compound, meaning organic chemicals that have a high vapour pressure at room-temperature. Their high vapour pressure is because of a low boiling point, thus causing large molecules to evaporate or sublimate from the liquid or solid form.

For example, formaldehyde has a boiling point of -19 degrees Celsius. Slowly, over an extended amount of time the chemical would slowly exit the paint and diffuse into the air we breathe.

VOC’s are regulated by law and have a low concentration. Although VOC’s are considered to be acutely toxic to humans, long term exposure to these chemicals can cause a slow development of several different health complications. Several health effects being; eye, nose and throat irritation; headaches, loss of coordination, nausea; damage to liver, kidney and central nervous system. Some organic compounds can cause cancer in both humans and animals. The health effects are all in determinate to the length of time exposed and level of toxicity within the paints. 

Canada considers VOC’s to have a boiling point of 50-250 degrees Celsius. “The term “organic compound” covers all chemicals that contain carbon and hydrogen” according to the government’s webpage. Check out this table taken from the government’s website as well. Do you recognize any of them?

Chemical	Source
Acetone	Paint, coatings, finishers, paint remover, thinner, caulking
Aliphatic hydrocarbons (octane, decane, undecane hexane, isodecane, mixtures, etc.)	Paint, adhesive, gasoline, combustion sources, liquid process photocopier, carpet, linoleum, caulking compound
Aromatic hydrocarbons (toluene, xylenes, ethylbenzene, benzene)	Combustion sources, paint, adhesive, gasoline, linoleum, wall coating
Chlorinated solvents (dichloromethane or methylene chloride, trichloroethane)	Upholstery and carpet cleaner or protector, paint, paint remover, lacquers, solvents, correction fluid, dry-cleaned clothes
n-Butyl acetate	Acoustic ceiling tile, linoleum, caulking compound
Dichlorobenzene	Carpet, moth crystals, air fresheners
4-Phenylcyclohexene (4-PC)	Carpet, paint
Terpenes (limonene, a-pinene)	Deodorizers, cleaning agents, polishes, fabrics, fabric softener, cigarettes

As you can see a source for many VOCs is paint. That’s why we pride ourselves on offering extremely low, or no VOC paints. Our customer’s health is our number one concern.