In this paper the anti-corrosive behaviour of four low toxicity painting systems is presented; two are water-borne coatings (acrylic and epoxy) and the other two are powder coatings (epoxy and polyester). Field exposure, total immersion and accelerated aging laboratory tests were performed. The main aging features of each coating were evaluated by comparison with an organic solvent soluble epoxy primer/aliphatic polyurethane top coat painting system. It was seen that some classical laboratory procedures are not useful for some low toxicity painting systems. Impedance measurements pointed out aspects concerning differences in the deterioration mechanisms of some coatings under testing conditions. A discussion about corrosion processes in painted samples which are not detected by the impedance is also presented. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science S.A.