According to the Environmental Protection Agency, indoor air is three times more polluted than outdoor air. In fact, it’s considered one of the top five hazards to human health in the U.S. The best way to combat this danger is to cover your home’s walls with a paint containing minimal volatile organic compounds.

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American Pride is one of the paints available at Green Way Supply.(FRANK ESPICH)

Paint and finishes containing VOCs release low-level toxic emissions into the air. Toxins can stay there for years after paint has been applied, making them a continuing danger.

“Studies have linked the growing asthma and cancer rates to these emissions,” said Terry Black, co-owner of Green Way Supply in downtown Indianapolis.

Healthy developments

VOCs used to be an essential component of quality paint, but consumer demand and growing environmental regulations have led to the development of high-quality paint that contains low or zero VOCs.

Eric Musall, a northside homeowner, recently painted his entire interior with no-VOC paint.

“The paint went on smooth, looked great and all the walls were covered in one coat,” he said. “And there was no smell and no painting headache.”

It’s not yet possible to create no-VOC paint for some semigloss and outdoor varieties, so low-VOC is the best option in these situations. Unlike no-VOC, low-VOC paints emit some odor while drying, but it’s less pervasive than with conventional paint.

Adding color to paint can raise its VOC level, but Green Way Supply offers no-VOC pigment in every shade found in standard paint stores.

Another benefit of using no-VOC paint is that it seals in the negative emissions from previous layers of paint.

“If you want to live in a healthier environment, the best thing you can do is paint with low-VOC paint and scatter plants around your house,” Black said. "They naturally leech all the chemicals out of the air

In addition to being better for your health and the environment, no-VOC paint is easier to dispose of than regular paint, which can harm wildlife and contaminate soil and water sources if not properly disposed of. Low-VOC paint should be taken to a hazardous waste collection center, but no-VOC paint poses no threat to the environment and can be thrown away with your household trash.