Title: Paint fumes can trigger asthma and cancer: Hidden dangers of decorating | Daily Mail Online
Headings: Will doing up the front room make you ill?
Will doing up the front room make you ill?
There are also hidden dangers in ­apparently simple procedures such as removing old wallpaper and replastering.
So what are the risks - and how can you avoid them...
SANDING FLOORS
VARNISHING
WALLPAPERING
TACKLING MOULD
INSTALLING INSULATION
LAYING CARPET

Content: Paint falls into two categories: water-based, often referred to as acrylic emulsions and usually used on walls; and solvent, or oil-based paints which tend to be used for a glossy finish (solvents are added to paint to thin the ­mixture so it will spread evenly). Inhaling paint fumes can exacerbate asthma and ­sinusitis, says Dr Keith Prowse, of the British Lung Foundation. Because the solvents are absorbed into the lungs, then the blood stream, they can lead to headaches and dizziness. ‘ If you paint for too long in a room with no ­ventilation, it can even cause a blackout,’ says Dr Prowse. When VOCs are inhaled, they can cause eye, nose and throat ­irritation. In large quantities, ­animal ­studies have linked these chemicals to birth defects, cancers and damage to the central ­nervous system. Professional painters are most at risk: they have a 20 per cent increased risk of a range of ­cancers, particularly lung cancer, according to the World Health Organisation.