lavender walls and paint fumes

its 3:00am.

i can barely sleep considering that all i'm breathing are paint fumes.

i recently had my office space re-painted with lavender (walls) and black (the door and wall-mounted cabinets), it sure raised a couple of eyebrows here at the office - my boss even said "hey! what happened to your room?".

i guess some people aren't too keen in seeing something different (no matter how open-minded they claim to be).

i sure am getting dizzy with the paint fumes that i'll probably have a headache in the morning.

here are a couple tips on inhaling paint fumes (he he he)


General Hazard: Paint Fumes
Exposures to toxic fumes and particles during painting. Hazard Description
Solvents (e.g., aliphatic and aromatic hydrocarbons, various ketones) (Burgess) - can create both health and fire hazards.

Pigments, anti-fouling and anti-rust paint components (e.g., organo-mercury compounds, copper oxide, arsenic, organo-tin compounds, cadmium, chromium) (Burgess).
Types of paints used include: anti-rust paints that contain lead (e.g., red lead paint), zinc chloride primer paints, hot plastic rust preventive and anti-fouling paints, copper-bottom paints, and fire-resistant paints.

Scenarios/Injuries
Ship-board painting is often performed in confined spaces and tanks, thereby concentrating fumes and particulates. In addition to health hazards, the opportunity for fires and explosions increases.

Lead poisoning can occur from ingestion and inhalation of lead-based paint particles. The exposure depends on the method of application; for example, rolling versus spraying. Exposure to other hazardous constituents of paints can occur in the same way.

Controls
Respiratory protection is provided using air-line and air-purifying respirators.

Mechanical air supply and exhaust are used to ventilate confined spaces and control exposures during painting operations. (Burgess; Patty's)

Spray nozzles can be mounted on extensions, thereby lessening exposure to paint components and improving visibility by reducing the amount of paint covering goggles and face shields (Burgess; Patty's). In some situations, application using brushes may provide the most satisfactory control (Patty's).

Painting with lead-based paints can be done at night when other workers will not be exposed. Supplied-air respirators are often required to avoid exposure (see Haglind).