Is acrylic paint safer than enamel paint?

Acrylic paint is, without doubt, safer than enamel. This is because it is water-based so doesn't emit toxic fumes that you can breathe in unlike enamel which is solvent-based with lots of nasty neurotoxins in its ingredients.

Safer does not mean 100% safe though. Paint is not something that our bodies are designed to inhale or ingest so common sense should prevail.

It is highly unlikely that anyone would use acrylic paint as an ingredient for a delicious cocktail, but there are times when dealing with acrylic paint that we should exercise caution.

When sanding old paint acrylic or otherwise, you should always do so in a well-ventilated room and wear a face mask. The respirator type is best because paper masks cannot guarantee toxins will not penetrate into your air supply. Although the acrylic paint doesn't contain toxins there is always the substance underneath the paint to consider along with the paint particles themselves which do not sit well on the lungs.

Also worth considering is protecting your skin from paint, in general, you shouldn't suffer any great side effects from a little paint splash on your skin, but with allergies on the increase, it is better to be safe than sorry so wearing gloves is advisable.

When used properly, with adequate safety precautions any paint is safe to use, so you shouldn't let the subject of safety influence your decision about which kind of paint you should choose, but at the same time, we can't emphasize enough that any safety instruction on any paint should be followed and not be taken lightly.