The biodegradability of synthetic resins used as binding media in housepaints

Despite the potential danger of microorganisms on traditional paint binders is well known, the same has not been sistematically proved for synthetic binders yet. The most important synthetic resins introduced in the paint market during the 20th century have been acrylic, alkyd and poly(vinyl acetate) (PVA) resins. Alkyds and PVAs are widely used as binders in housepaints, also employed by well-known artists. In the present research, the biodeterioration of a large number of synthetic resins in housepaints has been studied after inoculation with fungi, following the MIL-STD-810E method. Optical and scanning electron microscope observations proved the heterotrophic microorganisms growth. Different synthetic resins showed a different degree of susceptibility to the same fungal species. On these same samples, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy analyses have been also carried out, but, compared to spectra of controls, no modifications in the spectra were detected.