Volatile Organic Compounds or VOCs are chemicals that easily become gaseous at room temperature and mix in the surrounding air. VOCs can contribute to headaches, dizziness, worsen asthmatic conditions, irritation of the eyes, nose and throat; and on prolonged exposure lead to organ damage and cancer. The solvents in paints are the biggest contributors to VOCs in paints and so it is important to choose paints with low or nil VOC levels. SIERRA has carefully analysed all available paints and selected the water based enamels against solvent based enamels that are high in VOCs, for metallic surfaces and other low VOC paints for the rest to improve the indoor air quality levels. All adhesives and sealants were also selected considering the VOC levels.
A building flush-out was also conducted prior to occupation of the building to completely remove pollutants such as formaldehyde and VOCs.