Artist exposes shocking danger hiding in everyday habit: 'I had no idea'

Artist Leslie Stroz (@lastroz) had a great tip for managing paint wastewater in a healthy and sustainable way. 

"Do you throw your dirty paintwater down the drain? Here's why you shouldn't," Stroz said in her TikTok video. 

@lastroz Replying to @nadinehovde There are many ways to do this 🤍 #paintwater #paintwaterdisposal #artsafety #ecofriendly #painttok #learnontiktok #lesliestrozart ♬ original sound - Leslie Stroz Art

She went on to describe how most paint manufacturers don't recommend this. Instead, she leaves wastewater to evaporate. Doing so allows the pigment that is left behind in the container to be recovered with a cloth and disposed of appropriately. Stroz has a bunch of jars, and she sets some aside to simply dry out. She said it actually doesn't take that long. 

She suggests wearing a mask to protect against airborne particles while cleaning. Spritzing a cloth with water helps to catch the pigment. Gloves are an additional precaution, but Stroz uses cleaning wipes on her hands afterward. 

The chemicals in paints are harsh and particularly damaging to aquatic environments. One study suggested that paint is actually the largest source of ocean microplastics. These particles end up in the food we eat and, once ingested, can cause a range of endocrine, immune, digestive, and reproductive health issues. Sadly, some companies are ignorant to the damage paint can cause and dump waste indiscriminately. 

But others are finding opportunities in paint recycling. It's possible to recover much of it yourself for reuse, too.

Stroz's followers were surprised to hear about the potential damage of paint wastewater but were eager to get on board. 

"Wow, I had no idea!" one said. 

"Thank you so much for talking about this! It's been hard for me to find acrylic paint w/o ammonia for my health, so I'm switching to watercolor," another replied. 

Do you worry about having toxic forever chemicals in your home? Majorly 😥 Sometimes 😟 Not really 😐 I don't know enough about them 🤷 Click your choice to see results and speak your mind.

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