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OK - So WHAT exactly is the deal with preggos and paint?
I will be moving next month (hallelujah - found a place - thank you nrthshrgrl!) but we are going to want to paint up the living room, dining room, nursery, and eventually our bedroom.
Since we are on a strict budget, we can't afford to do everything at once... We may have to choose a room a month.
The priority for me is the nursery 1st, then the living room/dining room area. But I'm not sure how ventilated we can keep the rooms since keeping the window open may mean freezing us out of the house - especially the living room area...
So, what exactly is bad about a pregnant woman being around paint fumes?
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leighla
Support Cancer Research
Member since 5/05 16353 total posts
Name:
Lauren
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Re: OK - So WHAT exactly is the deal with preggos and paint?
If you look back, lolagranola posted a Comprehensive list of what's safe and what's not from Baby Center. It's a very handy reference tool you can probably look at before posting questions.
I pulled the paint fumes one for you:
Question: I'm newly pregnant and we just had our bedroom painted and some furniture refinished. We slept in another bedroom with the windows open and the door closed, but the smell was still in the hallway when we got up this morning. Did I hurt my baby?
Answer: Without more information about the chemicals involved, it's difficult to give you a precise answer about how hazardous it may be. It depends on how much you were exposed to a particular chemical before we can determine if it's caused problems. Prolonged, continuous exposure is worse than the short-term episodic contact you had. Given your extremely limited and indirect exposure to the fumes and your wise decision to open all of your windows, I'd say it's time to stop worrying. In the future, you can check with your healthcare provider first if you have any doubts about exposing yourself to a particular chemical either by smell, taste, or touch.
Environmental agents that can cause birth defects are called teratogens. (They include some prescription and illicit drugs, some non-prescription drugs, supplements — including Vitamin A in megadoses, herbs, various chemicals, certain infections, and high-dose radiation.) How poisonous or harmful a substance is depends on many different factors, including the amount you're exposed to, when in the pregnancy you were exposed, how you were exposed, your genetic makeup, and the degree of risk associated with a particular substance. While there is fairly good information about many drugs and infections that are potential teratogens, there is a sore need for more data on the reproductive and developmental risks of most chemicals. If you're exposed to any chemicals on a routine basis, you may want to talk about it with your healthcare provider.
Pregnancy can spark an interest in home renovation, especially if you're setting up the nursery. We don't yet have much data regarding the safety of in-home use of paint by pregnant women, but most experts agree that it's best to avoid contact with oil-based paint, polyurethane floor finishes, spray paints, turpentine (and similar solvents), and liquid paint removers. (Leave those jobs to your partner or a professional!) Don't scrape or sand old paint off either since old paint often contains lead. If you must paint, latex paints are considered the safer choice, and the paint should be brushed or rolled on rather than sprayed. (Be sure not to use old latex paint that was bought more than ten years ago because it may contain a preservative that contains mercury.) Good ventilation is a must.
We don't know enough about the wide variety of commonly used household chemicals and cleaning products. If you're using them, wear gloves and avoid direct contact with products that have strong fumes and extensive warning labels, such as certain oven cleaners and bathroom tile cleaners. Avoid pesticides, insecticides, and fungicides. And find out what's in your craft or hobby supplies. To inhale fewer fumes, keep your windows open and buy products that are not in aerosol cans.
Birth defects affect 2 to 3 percent of babies, and less than 10 percent of them are thought to be from exposure to teratogenic agents of any type (not just chemicals). If you take good care of yourself — eat a healthy diet, avoid alcohol and recreational drugs, and check with your healthcare provider before using any medications — you improve your odds of having a healthy baby. You've thought well about yourself and your baby and needn't worry about this incidental short-term exposure to fumes.
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