Is Painting Safe While Pregnant in Thousand Oaks, CA? Paint Toxicity, Ventilation for Dust & More

Are you expecting a child? Congratulations! Bringing a baby into your family is such a special experience. There are so many things that need to be done before your baby is born. One thing that you will need to do is getting your nursery all put together for your little bundle of joy. You may have heard that you should not paint when you are pregnant. Is that true? McKays Painting has done the research for you on this so that you do not have to wonder about whether or not you should attempt painting yourself.

Paint Toxicity

There are three different categories of paint for you to know about: latex, oil, and enamel. It is extremely hard to determine the degree of toxicity during pregnancy because there is not a current method of measuring actual exposure. Research does show that the likelihood of paint toxicity depends on how long you are exposed to the paint and what kind of chemicals and solvents are in the paint.

Avoid Exposure to Lead Paint Dust

If you are painting areas of your home you will want to avoid lead based paint. Lead based paint was commonly used prior to the 1970s. Modern paint does not typically contain lead. You can get lead poisoning if you are removing old paint that has lead in it though. If your painting job requires you to scrape and sand old paint that may contain lead you will want to avoid that completely. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has proven that exposure to lead paint increases the likelihood of lead poisoning and mental retardation. McKays Painting definitely recommends that you avoid doing this part of the job yourself.

Safety Equipment & Ventilation when Painting

Some pregnant women work in industries where painting is a large part of their job. If you are consistently exposed to paints and solvents at your job there are some concerns. To protect yourself at work you should wear protective clothing and have effective ventilation in your workspace to help reduce the level of exposure and potential risk to the baby.

Spray Painting While Pregnant

With the increase of do it yourself blogs and reality television shows repurposing furniture is a popular choice among expecting parents. Many times these projects are completed with spray paint. If you are considering spray painting any of your furniture to give it a fresh look for your nursery you will definitely want to have someone else do the dirty work. The mist created when you are spray painting can be inhaled and cause issues for you or the baby.

Can I Paint During Pregnancy?

If you decide to tackle any of the painting projects yourself there are some precautions you should take. Talk to your health care provider before beginning a painting project. Your doctor can help explain some of the pregnancy and birth defect risks that can happen from exposure to paint. If you do paint, wear protective clothing, masks, and keep the area ventilated. If your paint contains solvents such as ethylene glycol and biocides etc you will want to have someone else do the painting. Water colors, acrylic, and tempera paints are all much safer choices for you when you are pregnant. Overall it is indeed recommended that you only paint when you are pregnant in small amounts.

Interior & Exterior Painting & More in Ventura, Ojai, Newbury Park, Westlake Village, Camarillo, Thousand Oaks, Agoura Hills & Santa Barbara California

Hiring someone to come out and tackle getting your nursery ready or meet any of your other painting needs for you when you are pregnant is the safest option. Give McKay’s Painting a call today and we can come out and help your family prepare for your new addition!