Can plaster and paint improve indoor air quality?

Indoor air quality is not something that I think about too much apart from about 2 weeks in the summer at the height of the hayfever season when I'd prefer to be indoors with an air purifier with a HEPA filter running on max. But there's more to air quality than just pollen.

VOCs

A VOC (Volatile Organic Compound) is an umbrella term for pollutants that are often released from items within our home such as furniture, flooring, materials, paper, oils, paints, glues, carpets, pets. So we're surrounded by things that are constantly releasing chemicals into our home. It's hard to know what the long term impact of this is on our health, but for people with breathing difficulties VOCs are a more immediate issue.

In terms of the levels of these chemicals it really depends on many factors as to how many of these chemicals are there. At the beginning of a product's life it will naturally release more VOCs that later on due to paints / glues drying etc. If you are into your antique furniture then you'd have less VOCs from your furniture than someone who buys new furniture. However this is just one of many factors - i.e how do you cook? what's the outside air like in the area you live? what's the ventilation like in your home? To find out the definitive answer on the levels of VOCs in your home you'd need to measure them using an air quality monitor - but these only measure a selection of the VOCs so they don't entirely give you the whole picture.

VOC Reducing Plaster

One of the innovations in this are has been by British Gypsum who mine the vast majority of the plaster in the UK. By adding some clever chemical to the plaster mix they've come up with a plaster PureFinish that removes up to 70% of the VOC formaldehyde from the air in a room. The cost of this plaster is not much more than ordinary plaster, but it's not widely available so tends to be something you have to order which is a shame as it should ideally be the default choice.

VOC Reducing Paint

Another way of reducing VOCs is through paint products. For example this Optiva Clean Air Paint can also reduce formaldehyde in a room. This paint GCS Interior has only a trace of VOCs.

Final thoughts

Paints and plasters can assist in reducing some VOCs within the home, but they are really meant as an additional measure. Combined with HEPA filters these could be beneficial but it really depends on what VOC levels you have within your home. To be extra safe there is no harm in using these products especially if the cost difference between these and standard products are negligible. Of course the best way to avoid VOCs is not to buy products with a high VOC content.