# Paranoid Parent
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paranoid-parent/636276
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion
**Created:** [September 30, 2012, 3:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paranoid-parent/636276 "2012-09-30T03:32:03Z")
**Posts on this page:** 9
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Lochdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lochdale)
#### Post date: [September 30, 2012, 3:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paranoid-parent/636276/1 "2012-09-30T03:32:03Z")
So we just repainted our spare bedroom for our som son as his sister is due shortly. Used latex paint. I’m worried about the fumes. Any thoughts from my fellow Dopers about letting him sleep in the room? Thanks!
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### Author:  [@Suburban\_Plankton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Suburban_Plankton)
#### Post date: [September 30, 2012, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paranoid-parent/636276/2 "2012-09-30T19:01:03Z")
You didn’t mention how old your son is, (I assume he’s at least 9 months old 🙂 ).
Can you still smell the fumes? If not, I wouldn’t personally be too worried. If so, I’d keep him out of the room until the smell fades (of course, I’d keep myself out of the room as well; paint fumes give me headaches).
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### Author:  [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)
#### Post date: [September 30, 2012, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paranoid-parent/636276/3 "2012-09-30T23:22:29Z")
How long until the sprog pops out? Why not pick a few nice days in the intervening time to pop the windows open to air out any fumes in the room? Most offgassing tends to dissipate fairly fast. I one had a job where I painted with [polyamide paint](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polyamide-imide), and OSHA requirements were that I as a fertile [heh] female had to have extra time given me at the end of a shift to shower off … and they don’t allow anything near as toxic as that to be used in home. They had to let it cure then air out for 30 days then they allowed fertile or pregnant females to use the rooms, so I would make the guess that regular house paint would be fine once the fumes have been aired out for a few days.
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### Author:  [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)
#### Post date: [October 1, 2012, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paranoid-parent/636276/4 "2012-10-01T14:38:30Z")
Latex paint? As someone who used to cook those in 22-ton batches, I’d be worried about it only if drunk, which the kid can’t do once it’s applied to the wall.
It contains:
water (now evaporating from your wall)
tiny suspended blobs of a rubber-like substance (now attached to your wall)
dye (stuck to the blobs and to the wall)
may contain biocides (used in ppb amounts and firmly stuck to the wall; if the paint isn’t even touted as specially anti-mold or somesuch, the biocide could be something as simple as a huge dose of ammonia, which would be easily identifiable by stink and also evaporate from the wall along with the water)
The smell is mostly residuals. Many of those can be detected by people without a particularly fine nose in amounts much, much lower than those dangerous to health - we’re talking about “would be dangerous in % range, can be detected in the air in ppm ranges”.
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### Author:  [@control-z](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/control-z)
#### Post date: [October 1, 2012, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paranoid-parent/636276/5 "2012-10-01T16:07:33Z")
Open the windows, or better yet put a fan in the window and blow the air outwards. Once you can’t smell the paint it’s fine IMO.
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### Author:  [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)
#### Post date: [October 1, 2012, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paranoid-parent/636276/6 "2012-10-01T16:50:57Z")
I’d be a lot more worried about the fumes from oil-based paint. Of course, they were still putting lead in house paint until I was an adult and I not turned dumb out.
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### Author:  [@InsomniaMama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/InsomniaMama)
#### Post date: [October 1, 2012, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paranoid-parent/636276/7 "2012-10-01T17:31:12Z")
Put a couple houseplants in there to clean the air. They say spider plants are very effective. Can’t hurt.
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### Author:  [@Lochdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lochdale)
#### Post date: [October 1, 2012, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paranoid-parent/636276/8 "2012-10-01T18:19:41Z")
Thanks guys. Latex paint so I’m not too worried. He’s 17 months. Will add a plant too. Good idea!
Of course he’ll likely eat with or play with the dirt.
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### Author:  [@Lochdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lochdale)
#### Post date: [October 3, 2012, 2:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paranoid-parent/636276/9 "2012-10-03T02:37:11Z")
Actually it’s 100% acrylic paint and the room still smells despite windows being open all day.