Avoid VOCs

Volatile organic compounds, or VOCs, are widely used as ingredients in household products. Products release VOCs into the environment, where they can damage soil and groundwater. Vapors of VOCs escaping into the air contribute to air pollution, are potentially carcinogenic and lead to stratospheric ozone depletion, i.e. the Greenhouse Effect.

Luckily, “zero VOC” products are now easy to find: Most major paint and varnish lines now have low or no VOC versions of their most popular shades. If you can’t afford environmentally friendly furniture, try buying second-hand gear. Over time, most VOCs are released—“off-gassed”—into the environment to a point where they’re not as dangerous.

This entry was posted on Monday, October 27th, 2014 at 10:17 am. It is filed under Sustainability and tagged with furniture, off gassing, paint, varnish, voc, volatile organic compounds. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.