Particles From Common Household Paints Can Harm Living Organisms

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The researchers also found that a new membrane demonstrated powerful filtering effects.

Researchers from the University of Bayreuth have examined two standard dispersion paints and found that they contain numerous solid particles that are barely a few micro- or nanometers in size.

Dispersion paints are often used in homes to paint walls and ceilings. An interdisciplinary research team from the University of Bayreuth has recently examined the chemical makeup of two common dispersion paints and identified a substantial number of solid particles as small as a few micro- or nanometers. These particles have been shown in studies on biological test systems to be harmful to live organisms. These particles can be filtered out of water before entering the environment using a new membrane developed at the University of Bayreuth.

Dispersion paint ingredients

The Bayreuth study on dispersion paint ingredients and their potential impacts on living organisms was published in the journal Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety. It is based on close interdisciplinary collaboration at the University of Bayreuth’s Collaborative Research Center 1357 “Microplastics”.  The researchers chose two widely available dispersion paints that are often used in homes.

These are distinguished primarily by their dripping properties since they were designed for wall painting on the one hand and ceiling painting on the other. The solids content of the two paints is 49 and 21% by weight, respectively, while the organic content is 57 and 7% by weight. Characteristic solid components in the micro- or nanometer range are particles of silicon dioxide, titanium dioxide, and calcium carbonate, as well as particles of various kinds of plastic, especially polyacrylate.

“Many of these tiny particles enter the environment, for example, through abrasion of the paint layers or weathering. Our study now shows that when brushes, rollers, scrapers, and buckets used in painting walls and ceilings are cleaned by washing out paint residues, the particles from the dispersion paints can end up in wastewater and thus also in the environment. The impact on the environment needs to be thoroughly investigated, which is all the more urgent given the worldwide spread of dispersion paints and their diverse material compositions. That is why we have not limited ourselves to the chemical analysis of paint components, but have also investigated their effects on living organisms and cells,” says Professor Dr. Andreas Greiner, deputy spokesman of the Collaborative Research Center “Microplastics”.

Effects on living organisms

For their inquiries, the Bayreuth scientists selected two test systems that have been well established in research: water fleas of the species Daphnia magna and a line of mouse cells. The water fleas were tested according to OECD guidelines for the testing of chemicals. In this test, the mobility of the organisms is considered. It was found that the mobility of the water fleas was significantly reduced when the water contained a high proportion of dissolved and undissolved inorganic nanoplastic and microplastic particles.

In mouse cells, a decrease in cell activity was observed, which was generally caused by particles in the nanometer range. Metabolism in the mouse cells was significantly disrupted by nanoparticles of titanium dioxide and plastics in particular.

“Our research shows that the ingredients of dispersion paints can cause reactions of varying degrees in organisms and cells. Therefore, the possibility that the ingredients could be harmful to the environment cannot be ruled out. Further research in this area is urgently needed, especially since we still know far too little about whether interactions between nanoparticles made of plastic and inorganic nanoparticles can trigger additional damage,” explains Professor Dr. Christian Laforsch, spokesman for the Collaborative Research Center “Microplastics”.

“It is likewise still a largely unresolved question how the ingredients of dispersion paints interact with other substances in different environmental compartments – for example, in the air, in the soil, or in rivers. However, it is already clear that dispersion paints should not be carelessly disposed of in the environment,” says Professor Dr. Ruth Freitag, who is Chair of Process Biotechnology at the University of Bayreuth.

A novel membrane with high filtering effects

Parallel to the studies of dispersion paints and their possible effects, researchers under the direction of Prof. Dr. Andreas Greiner have focussed on a further project: They have developed a new process to remove potentially harmful particles from dispersion wall paints from wastewater by filtration. This involves the use of a membrane made of functionalized fibers produced by the electrospinning process. The membrane retains micro- and nanometer-sized particles in different ways.

On the one hand, the pores of the membrane are so fine that microparticles are not allowed to pass through. On the other hand, interactions between the membrane fibers and nanoparticles cause them to stick to the membrane surface even though they would fit into the pores. In both cases, the filtering effect is not associated with rapid and large-scale clogging of the pores. Therefore, water, for example, can easily pass through the membrane and runoff.

In the journal Macromolecular Materials and Engineering, the Bayreuth scientists describe the successful application of the membrane. They also tested the two dispersion paints that had proved potentially harmful to living organisms in the study. As it turned out, the membrane is able to retain typical color components – in particular nanoparticles of titanium dioxide and polyacrylate, and microparticles of calcium carbonate.

“In everyday life, all these color components are discharged together into the wastewater. Here they mix and in some cases even change their structures and properties due to their interactions. Therefore, we specifically tested the filtration performance of our electrospun membrane on such mixtures. The high filtering effects we have achieved show that this process has great potential when it comes to purifying water from particles in the micro and nanometer range, such as those contained in commonly used paints around the world,” says Greiner.

References: “Disentangling biological effects of primary nanoplastics from dispersion paints’ additional compounds” by Ann-Kathrin Müller, Julian Brehm, Matthias Völkl, Valérie Jérôme, Christian Laforsch, Ruth Freitag and Andreas Greiner, 16 July 2022, Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety.
DOI: 10.1016/j.ecoenv.2022.113877

“Filtration of Paint-Contaminated Water by Electrospun Membranes” by Ann-Kathrin Müller, Zhi-Kang Xu and Andreas Greiner, 18 July 2022, Macromolecular Materials and Engineering.
DOI: 10.1002/mame.202200238

1 Comment on "Particles From Common Household Paints Can Harm Living Organisms"

  1. johnny b. Goode. | September 17, 2022 at 2:34 am | Reply

    Assuming you are using water-based paint acrylic (and you should unless you have good reason to use the alkyd one.) otherwise some of these things will not apply:

    You should let buckets of old paint and rollers dry up and then (properly) discard them. Don’t bother washing rollers and brushes, seemingly the environmental impact of trying to reuse an old roller by washing it is greater than using a new one given the fact we can’t filter out the paint properly as is obvious by this article.

    If you want to keep your brushes usable, put them in water or wrap them in a plastic bag.
    There are plastic containers for keeping rollers and brushes from hardening which work really well and you can use them over and over. The rollers can stay good for up to weeks. Also kind of depends on your standard of what the paint-job should end up like, though.

    A good way to get rid of the water used to keep your brushes soft is by just pouring it in a bowl and letting it evaporate. Don’t flush it. Just don’t ever expect the bowl to be usable for food-grade items again.

    I also re-use the wood stick used for mixing, just keep it with the paint supplies. I never had problems with discoloration but I keep 2, maybe 3 based on whether I am mixing a dark or a lighter paint.

    Same goes for the painting trays. At some point the layer of paint can just be peeled out and you’ve got yourself a shiny new tray. Or just pour the paint onto the hardened old layer if it’s not chipping. Works fine for me. Just keep 3 trays depending on whether it’s a dark or a light paint and 1 tray for primer / rust-cover / whatever which is most likely not going to be water-based. I have never been able to peel those types of paint off but you can reuse the tray just the same.

    This way no paint will ever enter the water system.

    Remember the frogs.

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