Are oil based paints illegal in California?

Answer 1

I don't think the small tubes of oil based paint for artists, which are usually 2 or 4 ounces, are restricted by the v.o.c. numbers regulated by the South Coast Air Quality Management District. If you don't get a MSDS when you buy it, you should not worry about it. Your only real concern should be if you are making quarts or gallons. The issues are the chemicals that out gas when drying. If you really need large quantities of oil paint, oneshot still makes quarts for signpainters.

Answer 2

It's not that oil based paints are illegal, California is regulating the amount of VOCs (volatile organic compounds) allowed in about everything. What that means for the traditional plant derived oils that are used in the oil based paints of today is that the distillates and thinners used to bond pigment to the oil are on the out because they evaporate and go up into the atmosphere as they dry, hence the strong odors during the drying and curing process. Consumers associate these odors with being unhealthy and have moved towards low odor, VOC-free* paints. I'm curious to see how unhealthy these "green friendly" paints are as the lack of an odor doesn't mean healthier air (remember propane and natural gas are odorless and gas distribution companies add the odor so we can recognize a hazard). At least one study points to water-based alternatives as health risks and potential causes of Asthma and certain Allergies in children. See Related Link.