NATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH FORUM Paint Film Components National Environmental Health Monographs General Series No. 2 1998 1 Paint Film Components M van Alphen National Environmental Health Forum Monographs General Series No. 2 National Environmental Health Forum 1998 Paint Film Components 2 Copyright 1998 Copyright in this publication is assigned to the Department of Human Services on the basis of an agreement with M van Alphen Printed by Glenelg Press Published by the National Environmental Health Forum Prepared for publication by Bill Lock Public and Environmental Health Service Department of Human Services Price available on application. Correspondence with the author on Paint Film Components can be sent to: Mike van Alphen PO Box 3421 Rundle Mall SA 5000 Minor amendments have been made to page 8. The list of Published Monographs has been updated. National Library of Australia Cataloguing-in-Publication; van Alphen, Mike. Paint film components. Bibliography. ISBN 0 642 30532 3. ISSN 1328 - 2867 1. Paint - Analysis. 2. Paint - Toxicology. I. National Environmental Health Forum. II. Title. (Series: National Environmental Health Forum Monographs. General Series; no. 2 Paint Film Components 3 Contents Acknowledgements 7 Disclaimer 7 Published monographs 8 Preface 9 1. Legislation affecting paint 12 1.1 International 12 1.2 Great Britain 12 1.3 Australia 13 1.3.1 Past legislation relating to paint manufacture and sale in Australia 13 1.3.2 Queensland 14 1.3.3 Tasmania 15 1.3.4 New South Wales 16 1.3.5 South Australia 16 1.3.6 Australia 16 1.4 Occupational health and safety and paint in Australia 17 2. The Paint Industry 19 2.1 The export and import of paints 19 2.2 The paint industry in Australia 19 2.3 Pigment manufacture 22 2.4 The early water paints - whitewash 22 2.5 Pigments and paint formulation practice 24 2.6 Pigment particle characteristics 25 2.7 After-treated and core pigments 26 2.8 World wide pigment utilisation 26 3. Lead pigments 27 3.1 White lead 27 3.1.1 Introduction 27 3.1.2 White lead manufacture processes 28 3.1.3 Properties of white lead 28 3.1.4 Imitation mother of pearl - white lead 30 3.2 White basic sulphate of lead 31 3.3 Red lead paint 32 3.4 Sublimed blue lead 34 3.5 Calcium plumbate 34 3.6 Lead titanate 35 3.7 Lead chlorides in paint 35 3.8 Lead chromates 35 4. The mixing of lead and zinc in paint 37 5. Zinc in paint 38 5.1 Zinc oxide 38 Paint Film Components 4 6. Lithopone 41 7. Titanium Dioxide 44 7.1 Introduction 44 7.1.1 TiO2 from ilmenite 44 7.1.2 Anatase and rutile forms of TiO2 45 7.1.3 Trace components of titanium dioxide pigments 45 7.1.4 Extended TiO2 47 7.1.5 Was TiO2 a well known pigment in the 1940s? 47 8. Lead, Zinc Oxide, Lithopone and TiO2 49 8.1 TiO2 in Australia 50 8.2 Summary: TiO2 in paint 51 9. Other pigment materials 51 9.1 Antimony 51 9.2 Arsenic 52 9.3 Barium 52 9.4 Bismuth 54 9.5 Cadmium pigments 54 9.6 Chromate pigments 55 9.6.1 Introduction 55 9.6.2 Chrome green and fast chrome green 55 9.6.3 Chromium oxide 56 9.6.4 Zinc chromate 56 9.7 Cobalt 57 9.8 Copper 57 9.9 Iron 58 9.10 Manganese 58 9.11 Mixed metal oxide pigments 58 9.12 Molybdate red and orange pigments 59 9.13 Organic pigments 59 9.13.1 3,3'-Dichlorobenzidine 59 9.13.2 Benzidine 60 9.13.3 para-Chloro-ortho-toluidine 60 9.13.4 5-Nitro-ortho-toluidine 60 9.14 Prussian blue: ferric ferrocyanide 60 9.14.1 Brunswick Green 61 9.15 Ultramarine 62 10. Paint additives 63 10.1 Introduction 63 10.2 Mineral whites, fillers or extenders 63 10.3 Asbestos 64 10.3.1 Asbestos, asbestine and other nomenclature 64 10.3.2 The function of asbestos in paint 64 10.3.3 Quantities of asbestos in paint 65 Paint Film Components 5 10.3.4 The risk of asbestos in paint 67 10.4 Driers 68 10.4.1 Paint driers, old and recent 68 10.4.2 Driers: usual practice 70 10.4.3 The misuse of driers 71 10.5 Risks associated with paint driers 72 10.6 Fungicides 72 10.6.1 Surface disinfection in hospitals 74 10.7 Insecticidal paints 75 10.8 Mercury in paint 75 10.8.1 Mercury as a pigment 75 10.8.1.1 Substitutions for mercury as a pigment 76 10.8.1.2 Lingering use of mercury as a pigment 76 10.8.2 Mercury as a biocide 78 10.9 Plasticisers 80 10.10 Stabilisers 81 10.11 Thixotropic agents 81 11. Chlorine in paint 82 11.1 Chlorinated rubber 82 11.2 Polychlorinated biphenyls in paint 82 11.3 Chlorinated paraffins in paint 83 12. Metal primers: General 84 13. Metallic materials in paint 85 13.1 Metallic lead as a primer 85 13.2 Zinc dust metal paints 86 14. Luminous and fluorescent paints 86 15. Some non-household paints 87 15.1 Vehicle paints 87 15.2 Marine paints 87 15.2.1 Antifouling 88 16. Paint failure 89 16.1 Paint chalking descriptions 89 16.2 Paint chalking causes 90 16.3 Chalking of white lead paint 90 16.4 Susceptible pigments and modifications of pigments to address chalking 91 16.5 Properties of chalked paint surfaces 91 16.6 The risks of chalking paint 91 16.7 The durability and weathering of paint films 92 16.8 Gross failure 94 16.8.1 Alligatoring and cracking 94 16.8.2 Blistering 95 17. Renovating 96 17.1 Sandpaper abrasion of paint 96 Paint Film Components 6 17.2 Paint removal using heat 96 18. Paint solvents 97 19. Paint Substrates 97 19.1 Putty 98 19.2 Wood preservatives 99 19.3 Wood 99 19.4 Corrugated iron 99 19.5 Paint failure on cement 100 19.6 Miscellaneous 101 20. Lead in paint on Australian houses 101 20.1 Queensland 101 20.2 Mort Bay, Sydney 101 20.3 Boolaroo, Newcastle 102 20.4 Port Pirie 102 20.5 Broken Hill 103 20.6 Paint lead in residential settings in Australia 103 20.7 Summary: The analysis of lead in paint in Australia 104 21. Paint covering and paint thickness, lead loadings and lead concentrations 105 21.1 Upper limits for lead content 105 21.2 Paint film thickness 105 21.3 Painted surface lead loadings 106 21.3.1 Summary 109 22. How much paint lead on a house? 110 23. The amount of lead in a chip of paint 111 24. Lead added to soils 113 References 117 Appendix 1 ~ Inorganic pigments 124 Appendix 2 ~ Paint pigments 128 Appendix 3 ~ Synthetic organic pigments 132 Paint Film Components 7 Acknowledgements My work in the South Australian Health Commission since 1993 has been directed towards the investigation of child lead exposure and lead smelter emissions with a limited emphasis on paint lead. An early draft of this work emerged after the realisation of the presence of paint film components such as asbestos, mercury, cadmium, and PCBs, among other components that may pose risks; in addition to those of lead. This project emerged (after hours) given the early encouragement of Mark Farfel, Rob Fowler and Nick Kim. For unpublished paint lead analysis data provided by Dani Boddington of the Broken Hill Environmental Lead Centre, and national paint lead survey data from Phil Anderson of the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, I owe particular thanks. Two technical references provided a great deal of historical data for this work, the publishers of The Forensic Examination of Paints and Pigments (Charles C Thomas) and Paint Film Defects: their causes and cure (Chapman and Hall) have kindly provided permission to reproduce extended extracts from their works. Comments provided on the text by Andrew Langley and Nick Kim were very useful, the final preparation of the document, review of the text and checking of calculations by Bill Lock was readily appreciated. Any feedback on this work; be it requests for clarification, suggestions of alternate sources of information or any matters of debate; they would be greatly appreciated by the writer. Finally I thank Joe van Alphen - who has shared much practical knowledge, from some 40 years in the painting trade. Disclaimer This document has been prepared in good faith exercising due care and attention. However, no representation or warranty, expressed or implied, is made as to the relevance, accuracy, completeness or fitness for purpose of this document in respect of any particular user’s circumstances. Users of this document should satisfy themselves concerning its application to, and where necessary seek expert advice about, their situation. The NEHF, its participants and the SAHC shall not be liable to the purchaser or any other person or entity with respect to any liability, loss or damage caused or alleged to have been caused directly or indirectly by this publication. Paint Film Components 8 Published monographs Water Series 1. Guidance for the control of Legionella (1996) 2. Guidance on water quality for heated spas (1996) 3. Guidance on the use of rainwater tanks (1998) Soil Series 1. Health-based soil investigation levels, 2nd edition (1998) 2. Exposure scenarios and exposure settings, 2nd edition (1998) 3. Composite sampling (1996) Metal Series 1.