Microbicidal coatings

Archive of Older Topics Archive - Product Discussions #6
1

I have been called upon to evaluate Paint Shield microbicidal paint manufactured by Sherwin Williams, which became available on July 14, 2016.

Have any of you specified this product? Can you share any of your experiences about its performance?

Thank you.

2

Not personally, but I read this article a while back that may be worthwhile.

http://perkinswill.com/news/perkinswill-white-paper-antimicrobial-building-products-should-be-avoided-whenever-possible

3

Anti microbial treatments are a fraud and have deleterious effects on public health. Call me at 818 219 4937 if you are willing to listen to my tirade.

4

Brian,

Thank you for providing the link to the Perkins & Will white paper. After reading it, I passed it along to the person in charge of this project.

I understand Michael’s urge to rant. There may be a place for anti-microbial additives, coatings, etc. But, as with many things new, they tend to be over-prescribed when they first come into our awareness.

I am not sure how this will play out, but I appreciate the input and perspective provided in this forum.

5

A good place to learn more about the adverse health effects of antimicrobial treatments is the Green Science Institute web-site - look for the Antimicrobials page under “Six Classes”.

6

I’d like to second Greta’s recommendation. Here is the direct link: http://greensciencepolicy.org/antimicrobials/
The bottom of that webpage has a list of further resources, including the Florence Statement on Triclosan and Triclocarban.
You can find superb and informative videos, at http://www.sixclasses.org/videos.

7

Again, I appreciate the helpful responses from the 4specs correspondents.

In my particular case, the material contains a little over 1/2 percent of a quaternary ammonium compound. I understand that is a high number. Somewhat ironically, I have learned that many of the cleaning products used in the facility contain the same chemical.

Thanks to your input and the resources you all have provided, we are recommending that the client not incorporate the material into its projects.

It seems that we are under constant exposure to many harmful chemicals. The great wave of awareness stimulated by LEED v4 may help reduce this level of exposure.

8

I think it is important to add that the primary responsibility is on the design professional and the owner to determine whether or not a manufacturer’s product is appropriate for a project.

The label on the bottle may read “Drink me”, but it is up to us to determine if that is a good idea or not.