Advantages & Disadvantages of Toxic Paints

The word "toxic" means the substance contains a toxin, which is harmful. In the history of paints, many toxic substances were present. Once these substances were discovered to be harmful, they were banned from usage. The disadvantages of toxic paint are numerous, but one little niche exists where a toxic paint has a slight advantage.

Disadvantage: Human Harm

• Human harm is a major disadvantage of toxic paint. For example, lead was a common additive in paint. However, according to the Lead Group, lead was known to be a health hazard since 100 BC, when Greek doctors wrote about lead poisoning. Lead was used in paint until the late 1970s, when the Consumer Product Safety Commission reduced the allowable levels to .06 percent pats per million. The disadvantage is many homes are still contaminated with antiquated paint, and the paint can cause great human harm.

Disadvantage: Environmental Damage

• Environmental damage is another disadvantage of toxic paints. Rain leaches the toxins out of paint, and rain runoff eventually ends up in lakes, rivers and oceans. The end result is toxic paint is one of the sources of pollution in the environment. The City of Santa Rosa, California, stated that runoff is a toxic mixture composed of paint, oil, chemicals and other toxic substances. Also, toxic paint from remodeling ends up in landfills. This is also a pollution point for the environment.

Disadvantage: Offshoot Cost Consequences

• The two chief disadvantages of toxic paint are human harm and environmental damage or pollution. However, a cause-and-effect relationship is present. Every time a person has to go to the doctor as a result of toxins in paint, costs are involved. Every time a river or lake has to be cleaned up because of toxic runoff, costs are involved. These cost involve time, money and effort. For example, in Minnesota reporter Tim Post of the Minnesota Public Radio stated the costs to clean up Minnesota's polluted waterways will be lengthy and expensive. He cited the cost to clean up Lake Calhoun in Minnesota, which was at least $12 million. The problem is the costs are almost never-ending, as toxins leach out of paint over time.

Semi-Advantage: Boat Bottom Paint

• Barnacles stick to the hulls of ships.

  Boats must use anti-fouling bottom paints, especially if kept in water continuously.The problem is barnacles and mussels love to stick to surfaces. These shellfish grow prolifically on any surface, such as on piers, buoys and boat bottoms. If a boat bottom is not coated, the barnacles and mussels will add considerable weight to the boat, eventually making it unsafe to use. The only solution to date is to use anti-fouling bottom paint. This paint is a mixture of copper, copper oxide and tin oxide compounds. This paint is toxic to marine life, and shellfish will not stick to it. Although this paint is useful in marine applications, it is still a toxic paint. Its effects on overall marine life is negative. For this reason, the State of Connecticut recommends using as little as possible in order to provide adequate protection. Furthermore, any paint that has toxin release rates above those specified by the State is illegal to use. The International Maritime Organization adopted a treaty in January, 2008, prohibiting ships from using anti-fouling bottom paint that contains toxins. For the pro-and-con reasons, anti-fouling bottom paint cannot be considered a "true" advantage, since the only advantage is to boats but a detriment to the environment.