[Updated] Are Paintballs Toxic? | 2022 | The Real Truth

“Are Paintballs Toxic?” you may be asking. Are paintball products toxic? Are they made up of toxic chemicals? The short answer is: no. Paintballs are generally safe, especially compared to paint mixed with gasoline, but there are different types of paintball ingredients, and certain types of paintball markers can actually be dangerous if the right type of mixture is used.

 

[Updated] Are Paintballs Toxic? | 2022 | The Real Truth

Let’s start by learning what are paintballs made of. In short, basically, paintballs are air-filled sticks with a pigment in the center. There’s more to paintball ingredients than that, though, if you want to get technical. These are basically what today’s paintball products are made of; but, of course, that wasn’t always the case.

For years, players were told that paintballs were safe, and paintball markers sold for $100 or more and were full of all-natural paintball ingredients. Over the past few years, though, we’ve learned that paintball products can be as dangerous as, if not even more toxic than, regular paint. This was largely due to the explosion of high-powered paintballs (and other compressed air products) over the last couple of decades. Now, manufacturers are aware of the potential health risks and have started to include ingredients that are safer.

 

What are paintballs made of? – Are Paintballs Toxic

So, how are paintballs made? Basically, a paintball shell is just a piece of rubber, with some glue in the center. When the player inserts paint into the rubber ball, it fills the entire ball, and when the game is over, the player pops the rubber ball back out.

However, if there was any type of filler inside the paintball shell, that would make the paintball harder, or even explode when it popped. That’s why manufacturers didn’t add anything to the paintball shells, until recently. Today, there are two main types of paintball markers used in tournaments: oil-based and water-based. Oil-based paintballs contain metal salts that react with water when they come into contact with each other.

The water in the air helps to keep the metal salts hydrated, which creates a harder surface and longer wearing paint. The most common additives are zinc and magnesium, but other chemicals have been used as well. Some players even use paint thinner and paint thinners of various compositions.

Water-based paintball markers (or “spray paint”) work differently, in that instead of filling a paintball shell with a metal compound, the marker uses a chemical solution that coats the inside of the casing.

Once the coating is dry, the player simply pumps the air release valve, and the marker bursts open, releasing the contents of the marker inside. These products are much lighter than the metal salts in an oil marker, so they don’t clog up the marker as easily. In fact, some of these products are so safe that they’re used for training by military trainers.

So how do we know that paintballs are safe to shoot, and are paintballs toxic? Well, when a marker like a Squier Moser Squeeze Paintball marker goes off, the contents splatter and land all over, causing some serious mess.

While there are no health risks from using these products, it’s important to understand that these products have been known to cause headaches and eye irritation to people who have come into direct contact with them.One of the best ways to avoid this problem is to buy a paintball marker that uses an oil-based paint instead of a latex one, as these types are more similar to the skin in terms of how they bond to the target.

These markers have an outer shell that contains the dye, air bubbles, and other additives to make them work. If you choose to use an oil-based paintball product, be sure to use a marker compatible with the type of dye that you’re using, as not all air guns are able to use certain dyes. As for the paint itself, these types of paintballs tend to be thicker than their latex counterparts, so they’ll clog up less air filters and air tanks. As a result, you’ll find these paintballs less messy to use, as well as easier to refill.