WASHINGTON — The final report of a study on health risks posed by exposure to crystalline silica in latex paint concludes that such exposure appears to present “no demonstrable lifetime carcinogenic risk” to do-it-yourself or professional painters engaged in sanding or spray-painting activities. The study, “Exposure to Crystalline Silica and Estimation of the Associated Human Health Risks from Painting and Sanding Interior Flat Latex Paint,” was conducted for the NPCA.

The study provided a characterization of the potential for cancer risk arising from exposure to respirable crystalline silica, as released during sanding or painting activities involving interior flat latex paint, the NPCA said.

In the study, exposure was estimated for two types of hypothetical subjects — homeowners (who are assumed to sand paint for a total of 10 hours per year), and professional painters (assumed to sand for a total duration of 500 hours per year and who also paint using an aerosol sprayer for a total duration of 405 hours per year). The study used paint containing three different concentrations of crystalline silica. Based on a comparison of the estimated exposures to toxicological data, the report concluded that there would be no demonstrable lifetime carcinogenic risk to either type of hypothetical subjects.