Toxic metals such as lead and mercury are no longer allowed in paint. However, reading the labels on the cans of some types of paint will still reveal warnings about other toxic substances, such as solvents, which can cause brain damage.
The Franklin Institute asks, in an article on the history of lead, why painting has long been such a toxic activity. "For some reason, paint seems to e the delivery system of choice for brain damage. Will future archaeologists be baffled by a society whose walls were more vibrant than its brain cells?"
