Paint additives danger to backyard spray painters

Press, 14 March 1985, Page 3

Paint additives danger to backyard spray painters

PA Wellington Backyard car painters are in danger of damaging their health because of new chemicals introduced in modern paints, says the Labour Department. One of the additives, isocyanates, which gives a car a glossy brand-new finish, can cause lifetime asthma and skin problems if a person is exposed to paint.

Isocyanates are chemicals used in the production of polyethane materials. Bind-

ers, adhesives, and rubbers made from urethane have some isocyanates in them. This has prompted the Labour Department to lay down new and stricter guidelines governing its application and use.

The new code is in draft form and industry and labour groups have commented on it. The code should become legal within the next two months after going to the Minister of Labour, Mr Rodger. The Labour Department’s deputy chief inspector of

factories, Mr Geoff Wilson, said that the chemical structure of paints had changed over the years and the code needed updating to protect workers. If exposed to certain isocyanates, people could develop breathing problems such as asthma, and skin rashes. The problem stayed with a person for life. The principal hazard arose from vapour, he said. Death could occur if exposed to extremely large quantities of isocyanates, said Mr Wilson. The new code has stricter guidelines on the protective clothing workers must wear and the ventilation needed

in spraypainting booths. The code also applies to “backyard” spray painters and the Labour Department will review regulations covering their use in that situation. Mr Wilson said the “backyard” spray painters were harder to trace and the least likely to conform to the new code. Most of them worked at night when the department’s inspectors were not on duty and detection relied a lot on neighbours. The department was not out to catch the “backyard” painters but to make sure they worked safely, he said.