Gloss paint...

[Talia12]

Yeah, so I've been doing doorframes and windowsills etc with solvent based gloss paint for a couple of hours. It wasn't the best ever ventilation while I was doing it but I've now thrown all the windows and doors open and put the extractor fans on. I'm 17 weeks. Was this a stupid thing to do? So worried I've hurt the baby

 

[blueriver]

I've looked into painting quite a bit and I really don't think a few hours will have done you any harm at all, or hurt your baby in any way Most of these things tend to be a risk if you've had a very high exposure over a long time.

Gloss is something I'd avoid in future though - it's usually a high VOC paint & VOCs are linked to a number of health risks. The VOC content is always listed on the paint tin so just look out for ones with a minimal/low VOC content instead which are usually the matt water based paints and a lot safer for everyone.

It's worth also bearing in mind that VOCs can leech out of paints for months even after the paint dries, so if its an area of the house you or kids are in a lot, still try keep it ventilated as much as possible, even when the fumes have gone. You could also ask someone to repaint the areas for you in a low VOC paint which would sort the issue out X

 

[Talia12]

Thanks so much for this info! My panic had passed about the small amount of painting I did, but I still need the doors to be painted (by DH!) and I will make sure I bear all this in mind. Thanks!