Health Risks of Exterior Paint in Kitchen

Hello, we painted the kitchen ceiling and walls one coat of Valspar Aspire Exterior Paint (Flat White) using up 1 gallon of paint. The question we have is does this paint, due to its formulation for the exterior, pose a threat to human health in the short term or/and the long term despite the low VOC, low odor claim on the container? If so, are there any solutions to fix this mistake? At this point it has been 24 hours since application.

Thank you so much!

It sounds like you used exterior paint by mistake. I'm not a paint expert, but I doubt there is anything in exterior paint that would cause problems in the house.

slownsteady said:

It sounds like you used exterior paint by mistake. I'm not a paint expert, but I doubt there is anything in exterior paint that would cause problems in the house.

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Thank you for your response. You think that a couple of weeks of exchanging the kitchen air with the outdoor air, the off-gassing will be a non-issue. How about the additives (e.g., mildewcide) to make exterior paint durable? Are they any threat to human health?

I could not find the MSDS for the Aspire product with the UPC code of 0 80047 21042 2. I was only able to access the product PDF.

Would your final word be to leave the new kitchen paint alone, continue to exchange kitchen air with fresh air, and after a couple of weeks, don't worry about it?

Thanks!

It is an age old debated question and the simple answer is use exterior paint outside and interior paint inside.


There are additives to exterior paint like mildewcide and fungicides along with UV inhibitors that all outgas when drying. The odor of exterior paints drying will last longer etc. If you have already done the job those are likely gone, and if you haven’t had any breathing problems you likely won’t IMO.


Exterior paint is allowed for outdoor furniture and such so IMO I don’t think contact with it is going to ever be a problem. People are as likely to touch a railing outside as a wall inside.


I’m not a paint expert so take my wisdom with a grain of salt but at this point I wouldn’t be overly concerned. Old lead paint is a much bigger concern and it is still in lots of homes and as long as we don’t eat it or sand it off and take in the dust it isn’t a big deal.


I will agree with SnS and say its not that big of a deal now that it is up and next time use the right paint for the job.


Hopefully some pros will come along and give us some pro advice.

Flat White said:

Would your final word be to leave the new kitchen paint alone, continue to exchange kitchen air with fresh air, and after a couple of weeks, don't worry about it?

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Our posts crossed in the mail.


I would answer your question Yes.

Just put another coat of interior paint over it, then forget about it.

Or if it looks ok now, let it go, no biggie.

...As long as it isn't Covid brand paint

Jeff Handy said:

Just put another coat of interior paint over it, then forget about it.

Or if it looks ok now, let it go, no biggie.

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It looks good enough.


Our concerns were only adverse short- and long-term health effects.

According to the paint's SDS, THE concerns are with the following:

Ingredients, Percent by Weight
Titanium Dioxide ≥10 - ≤25
Zinc Oxide ≤3
Cristobalite, respirable powder ≤3
Heavy Paraffinic Oil ≤1
Benzophenone ≤0.3
Crystalline Silica, respirable powder ≤0.3

Are the hazards only while the paint is wet and if the paint is scraped after drying forming dust?

Those questions are really only going to be answered by the SDS. I would call the manufacturer and ask.

slownsteady said:

Those questions are really only going to be answered by the SDS. I would call the manufacturer and ask.

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I agree we don’t have experts here that can answer those type questions.


Logic dictates there is no major restrictions on humans coming in contact with exterior paints. Wooden lawn furniture gets painted with them and there is no widely known fear of eating on a painted picnic table.


So based on that I’m just guessing it’s a pretty safe bet now that it is dry its pretty safe or as safe as other paints where we don’t overly come in contact with the paint.

slownsteady said:

Those questions are really only going to be answered by the SDS. I would call the manufacturer and ask.

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We spoke with both Valspar and Sherwin-Williams, who acquired Valspar. One individual said after 30 days the paint is cured and then is no more off-gassing. (I don't know if that meant no more worries in general, for example, no need to worry about the other ingredients in the paint so long as they are not disturbed.)

In another conversation, two others said to not use exterior paint inside due to the health risk. One of them suggested to cover the existing coat with a shellac coat to seal in the exterior paint and then a coat of interior paint. He specifically mentioned that the mildewcide effects lasts longer than the 30 days. He may have said years.


We are not sure what to do with this mixed information. At the moment, we are doing what people have recommended here, which is do nothing and ventilate well for four weeks from the day of the painting. If there is a health reason to do otherwise, please let us know. Thank you!

OMG get real!

Unless you are going to start drinking this paint right from the can, please find something else worthy of all this drama.

This is house paint, not liquid asbestos or dioxin or agent orange.

Bathroom paint also often has mildewcide added.

Worry about coronavirus, or global warming, or your cholesterol level, or about making the world a better place for children.

FlatWhite: you now have more info than we do. Whatever makes you feel comforted at this point is what you should do.

Too bad it doesn't have virucide.....

I think you should be fine.

Yes, you can use exterior paints for your kitchen areas but you should be well aware of the consequences of using it. Both exterior and interior paints are formulated differently depending on where you apply it. Exterior paints are formulated to be tougher to withstand the harsh elements outside.During the application and drying phase, external texture paints emit strong and very irritating odor and that can last for many months. By opening the windows and using an exhaust fan, you can solve this toxic odour concern to an extent if you are unable to bear the same.

The exterior paint contains a high level of VOC(Volatile Organic Compounds) or the paints fumes which is very dangerous to human health. If breathed in, these VOC causes headaches, nausea, lightheadedness and can even lead to cancer and various other life-threatening illnesses.

Last month, I repainted my kitchen areas with exterior texture paint. Before applying exterior paints, I took the valuable opinion of a paint consultant and he advised me to go for exterior paint with low VOC. Hence, I bought the most popular and fast moving exterior texture paints with less VOC and it has given a smooth finish to my kitchen spaces. I have also given proper ventilation in my kitchen to reduce odour and harmful effects of VOC.

Exterior paint fumes are not just something that is considered bad for the environment, they are harmful to human beings and animals. These VOC's are known to cause “sick building syndrome”. Some common symptoms include headaches, lightheadedness, and nausea, to name a few.

So the next question, which we have guessed at earlier, is whether it is safe after it has off-gassed and how long would that take?