Healthy Home Sloution And More

Kitchen items'' prices remain stable Who Knows

2012-10-06T17:03:00.000-07:00

Prices of most of essential kitchen items remained stable last week against rates in the preceding week, except for a slight change in flour and chicken prices, shows a survey conducted by Business Recorder on Saturday. Traders and wholesalers in different markets of the twin cities of Rawalpindi/Islamabad told this correspondent that flour price increase by Rs 2 per kg last week.

They maintained that prices of vegetables and fruits witnessed a significant decline after resumption of their supply following floods and protests in the past week. However, prices of most of essential kitchen items remained unchanged in the preceding week.

Chicken prices declined by Rs 5 per kg, it was available at Rs 100 per kg last week against Rs 105 per kg during the preceding week. Chicken meat was available at Rs 215 against Rs 120 per kg, registering a decline of Rs 5 per kg. Meat prices remained stable during last week as mutton was available at Rs 560 per kg, whereas, beef at Rs 380 per kg. Similarly, no change was observed in ghee/cocking oil and sugar prices during the last week against the preceding week.

Surveyors noted that vegetables prices remained stable as tomato was available at Rs 40-45 per kg, onion at Rs 40-45, potato at Rs 35-40 per kg, carrot at Rs 70 per kg, shimla mirch at Rs 80 per kg, okra at Rs 50 per kg, karela at Rs 50-60 per kg, arvi at Rs 50-55 per kg, chilli at Rs 80 per kg and cucumber at Rs 70 per kg during the past week as compared to the preceding week.

Similarly, fruit prices also remained stable and no significant decline was observed as apple was available at Rs 60-120 per kg depending on the quality, banana at Rs 80-150 per dozen, pomegranate at Rs 100-120 per kg, peach at Rs 150 per kg, while mango at Rs 180 per kg during the week past as compared to the preceding. During last week, rice prices remained stable, as super kernel was available at Rs 134 per kg against Rs 125 at the Utility Stores, while at Rs 135-140 per kg in open market.

Basmati rice was available at Rs 90-110 per kg against Rs 80-100 per kg in different markets. No significant change was observed in pulses prices during the week past as compare to the preceding week, as mash was available at Rs 160 per kg, moong at Rs 150 per kg, lobia at Rs 145 per kg, masoor at Rs 130 per kg, channa at Rs 120 per kg and white channa at Rs 130-150 per kg in different markets of the twin cities.

Kansai Nerolac pitches for safe and healthy homes

2012-10-06T17:00:00.001-07:00

Nerolac, a leading paint brand, has launched a new campaign ‘No VOC, No Gadbad’ that aims to educate consumers on the side-effects of VOC (volatile organic chemicals) in paints. The three-fold brand campaign that comprises TVCs, print ads and direct outreach to customers was unveiled last month and features brand ambassador Shah Rukh Khan highlighting the importance of healthy living.

The campaign was launched with the unveiling of the first of the two-part TVC on September 10 with Shah Rukh Khan pointing out that there is more to look for while choosing a paint for your home – not just colours, designer looks and attractive designs. The TVC briefs consumers about the harmful effects of VOC paints and the likelihood of paint companies hiding the ill-effects from consumers.
The idea hence was to seed VOC in the minds of consumers through a one-on-one intimate chat between SRK and the consumer. The campaign, conceptualized and executed by Publicis Ambience, seeks to point out the ‘gadbad’ in popular paints – volatile organic compounds. The films will be backed up by a press, outdoor and digital campaign.
Ashish Khazanchi, National Creative Director, Publicis Ambience, said, “The paint market in India is dominated by companies who only talk about colours and designs. Nerolac has created a distinct identity by encouraging healthy and safer living through their communications. It was the first paint company in India that introduced lead-free paints and now is the only paint company in India with Zero VOC (Volatile Organic Compounds) paints. Though it has communicated the healthy aspect of its products for a while, Nerolac feels that the market needs a disruption. Because of the impact paints have on a person’s health, people need to look at paints beyond home decorative and must start recognizing them as a lifestyle choice.”
The TVC opens with an interior shot of a house and a question for the viewer, “Kya aapke paint main Gadbad hai?” Cut to a shot of Shah Rukh Khan walking down an aisle. There are blocks of letters in a line which form the words – Properties and offering of paints. Cut to a shot of Shah Rukh holding a remote in his hand and then we see him press a button which results in a domino effect of the words falling to form another word which is “GADBAD”. Shah Rukh is heard saying: “Inn sab ke peeche chupi hui hai – GADBAD!”
The second part of the TVC was released on September 25, and it talks about VOC emission from freshly painted walls and the need for monitoring indoor air quality. As part of the campaign, Kansai Nerolac also introduced a nouvelle concept, where consumers and fans of SRK could call him on 022-3310060 to seek details on safer paints and get connected to Nerolac home painting services and also acquire knowledge on the ill-effects of VOC. One could also visit their website www.nerolachealthyhomes.com for more information. Also, Nerolac fans on the Facebook page will get regular posts on how to decorate the house with healthier and safer paints.
“We have always encouraged healthy and safer living and with this campaign, we aim at educating consumers of the need to check about VOC content while choosing paints. VOC in paints can be harmful. Also, paints are not just about colour or design, it is a lot more than just beautification. This innovative concept aims at reaching out to the end consumers across strata, be it the painters, architects, interior decorators and consumers. This further strengthens our brand commitment towards creating a safer environment and encouraging the use of safe paints,” said Sukhpreet Singh, Vice-President, Marketing & Sales (Decorative), Kansai Nerolac.
During the painting process VOC evaporates in the air causing health risks such as headaches, nausea, respiratory disorders, dizziness, chest congestion, lung irritation and burning sensation in the eyes, nose and throat. Kansai Nerolac has been a pioneer in developing healthy and safer paints by introducing lead-free paints and further making them low to zero VOC.

What Is VOC

2012-09-16T05:00:00.003-07:00

Volatile organic compound

Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are organic chemicals that have a high vapor pressure at ordinary, room-temperature conditions. Their high vapor pressure results from a low boiling point, which causes large numbers of molecules to evaporate or sublimate from the liquid or solid form of the compound and enter the surrounding air. An example is formaldehyde, with a boiling point of –19 °C (–2 °F), slowly exiting paint and getting into the air.

VOCs are numerous, varied, and ubiquitous. They include both human-made and naturally occurring chemical compounds. Most scents or odors are of VOCs. VOCs play an important role in communication between plants. Some VOCs are dangerous to human health or cause harm to the environment. Anthropocentric VOCs are regulated by law, especially indoors, where concentrations are the highest. Harmful VOCs are typically not acutely toxic, but instead have compounding long-term health effects. Because the concentrations are usually low and the symptoms slow to develop,

Nerolac Launch Healthy Home Paints

2012-09-16T04:47:00.001-07:00

Kansai Nerolac Paints Limited is committed to provide world class paints to our customers. Our endeavor is to provide products which are not just the best in performance, but also safe and minimize the impact on our environment. In continuation of the same objective we are pleased to announce that our entire range of Water-Based decorative products is now Low –VOC apart from being already Lead Free.

VOC’s are the substances found in paint that are emitted as gases from a freshly painted wall. While paint fumes in general are not a healthy thing and the most concerning components of paint are known as volatile organic compounds or VOC’s. These compounds can be readily inhaled and when absorbed in significant amounts can result in the commonly seen side effects of paint fumes including eye and respiratory irritation, headache, dizziness, and even memory problems. Some studies show that exposure to paint fumes can also increase the risk of asthma. In short, VOC in paints pollutes the indoor as well as outdoor air, water and soil and in turn has adverse effects on human health.

Ideally, to avoid negative paint fume effects, you should leave your home until the paint has completely dried, although this isn’t practical for everyone. The dangerous period is while the drying process is taking place at which time these unhealthy compounds are being slowly released into the air. Once released into the air, air movement will help to disperse the fumes to other parts of the house. VOCs are also bad for the environment, because they create ozone, and this same trait makes them harmful for human health.

With Nerolac’s low VOC paint, the formulation of the paint has been changed to reduce the overall VOC content of the paint. In addition to making the paint more pleasant to work with because it does not smell as strong, this also reduces the health risks associated with exposure to VOCs. VOC levels are very high inside most homes, and paints are a major contributor to this. Nerolac’s low VOC paint is designed to
perform like conventional paint, without the harmful ingredients. Now home owners do not have to avoid their home during and after painting process. Painters too, who are most vulnerable to serious health hazards caused by prolonged exposure, can now breath a sigh of relief. Low VOC in paint will help in maintaining the air quality in home.

Low VOC paint is especially recommended for parents, because children are particularly vulnerable to health problems from VOCs. Being exposed to these compounds can cause breathing problems and other health issues in a developing child.

Our low VOC range of paints conforms to the strictest of International Standards and has the National
Test House certification (NTH certification) which complies to Green Seal -11 VOC requirements. Green Seal is an independent international agency which certifies green and environmental friendly products.

What Is VOC???