Award-Winning County

Header--Montgomery County, Maryland. Press Releases

eb/paint.pr 00-253

Contact: Esther Bowring, 240-777-6530
Joe Keyser, 240-777-7700

For Immediate Release: June 22, 2000

AWARD-WINNING COUNTY 'HEALTHY INDOOR
PAINTING' BROCHURE ADAPTED BY U.S. EPA
FOR NATIONAL DISTRIBUTION

Montgomery County's Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) developed a first of its kind award-winning safety guide on Healthy Indoor Painting Practices that has been adapted by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for national use and distribution.

"Montgomery County is a leader in improving environmental quality for all residents through our aggressive efforts to enhance indoor air quality," said DEP Director James Caldwell. "I am proud that EPA found our groundbreaking education and outreach tools on indoor painting useful for a broader audience."

Healthy Indoor Painting Practices was recognized for its unique contribution by the National Association of Counties as an Achievement Award Winner in 1999. The education effort was also cited by the International City Managers Association in its 1999 guide to local government innovation.

"We liked what Montgomery County had done, and decided it was important for information that describes healthy indoor painting practices to reach a national audience," said Christina Cinalli, a chemist with EPA's Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics. "We want citizens to know how to create good ventilation when using paints in their homes in order to safeguard their health and well being."

Aimed at residents, property managers, and painting contractors, the brochure advises of potential health concerns associated with paint vapors and recommends practices that can minimize problems. In the short run, paint fumes can cause eye irritation, headaches, nausea, dizziness and fatigue. However, long-term over-exposures of professional painters to solvents in oil-based paints are more serious, and can be associated with chronic damage to the central nervous system, liver, and kidneys.

The brochure points out that latex paints have lower chemical emissions than oil paints. Proper ventilation is recommended by the guide to minimize potential health impacts. According to the brochure, even if paint appears to be dry, it will still release harmful vapors for 48 to 72 hours.

The County's website features DEP's full Healthy Indoor Painting Practices brochure at www.askDEP.com or residents can call 240-777-7700 for additional information. The U.S. EPA is distributing a version of the brochure in both English and Spanish. To obtain EPA's version, you can call EPA's Indoor Air Quality Information Clearinghouse at 1-800-438-4318.

For more information, call DEP Public Education Specialist Joe Keyser at 240-777-7700.

# # #

News Releases | News