9/12/2005
                                       OWNER/OPERATOR INFORMATION SHEET
HEALTHY AIR

  Could your family
        be affected?

           One furniture
 manufacturer installed a
7-gallon solvent recovery
      unit for $4,500. By
 running it 2 times a day,
 it recovered 5 gallons of
     reusable solvent for
       every 7 gallons of
   cleanup waste. Waste
    reduction was 1,900
   pounds per year,  and
      cost savings were
          $3,200 a year.
  — University of Wisconsin
      Solid and Hazardous
          Waste Education
                  Center
                                           Reducing Air Pollution  from:
                                            Wood Furniture Operations
Why should my wood furniture
operation reduce air pollution?
   People who are exposed to toxic air
pollutants at sufficient concentrations,
for sufficient durations, may increase
their chances of getting cancer or
experiencing other serious health effects,
such as reproductive problems, birth
defects, and aggravated asthma.
   Pollution prevention safeguards the
health of your employees, customers,
and families by using materials,
processes, or practices that can reduce or
eliminate air pollution at the source. For
example, covering containers of cleaning
solvents prevents vapors from affecting
your employees.
   Pollution prevention practices also
save money on waste disposal, materials
usage, and the cost of air pollution
controls.
   You may already be regulated by
federal, state, local, or Tribal agencies
and may already voluntarily implement
pollution prevention practices. However,
increasing pollution prevention efforts
can further minimize impacts on human
health and the environment.

Why should I be concerned about air
pollution from my wood furniture
operation?
•  Wood furniture operations can
   produce emissions of toxic air
   pollutants.
•  Finishes, stains, and topcoats applied
   during the finishing process can
   release some toxic air pollutants and
   volatile organic compounds (VOC).
   Chemicals in these substances can react
   in the air to form ground-level ozone
   (smog), which has been linked to a
   number of respiratory effects.
•  Other sources of toxic emissions
   include adhesives used for gluing and
   solvents used during cleanup. Stripping
   processes during refinishing can also
   emit air pollution.
•  While federal, state, local, and Tribal
   regulations limit the amount of
   emissions from wood furniture
   operations, dangerous releases of toxic
   air pollutants can occur if a wood
   furniture operation is not in compliance
   with regulations.

How can I reduce air pollution from my
wood furniture operation?

Substitute Materials
•  Use alternative adhesive systems or
   formulations such as hot melts, hot seal,
   aqueous-based, or polyvinyl acetate.
•  Switch to less toxic coating types such
   as high-solids nitrocellulose, aqueous-
   based, ultraviolet (UV) cured, or
   polyester/polyurethane.
•  Use aqueous-based cleaners which have
   lower toxic air pollutant and VOC
   content.
•  Use alternative stripping materials that
   contain N-methyl pyrrolidone or
   gamma-butyrolactone. These  are water-
   soluble, biodegradable solvents.
                                 Using fully enclosed spray gun washers reduces solvent evaporation by
                                                          approximately 50%.
                                                                     — Office of Pollution Prevention, Ohio
                                                                       Environmental Protection Agency

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                        OWNER/OPERATOR  INFORMATION SHEET
                                        Wood  Furniture Operations
                                                                                                             9/12/2005
•  Instead of solvents, use heat to adjust viscosity of the
   coating. This reduces the amount of solvent used.

Increase Application Efficiency
•  Use more efficient paint application equipment to
   reduce overspray such as switching to a high-
   volume, low-pressure spray (HVLP), airless spray,
   air-assisted airless spray, or electrostatic spray guns.
•  Train painters in proper spray application techniques.
   Proper training, which includes information on gun
   position, motion, triggering, and overlap, can reduce
   air pollutant emissions and enhance the quality of the
   paint finish.
•  Use a coating method that does not require spraying
   such as vacuum coating, dip coating, roll coating,
   flow coating, dry coating, and curtain coating.

Lower Emissions at the Source
•  Cover all containers securely to reduce the chance of
   spills when transferring materials.
•  Use funnels or pumps to avoid spills when
   dispensing materials.
•  Keep glue containers covered to reduce toxic vapors.
•  Minimize evaporative emissions by using enclosed
   or mechanical parts washing and gun washing
   systems.
•  Store rags and towels in a closed container.

Change Cleaning Procedures
•  Use mechanical cleaning such as scraping or wiping
   before using solvents.
•  Minimize solvent use by cleaning spray guns in a
   gun washer.
•  Use water-based detergents or acetone in place of
   more toxic cleaning solutions.
•  To reduce the frequency of cleaning equipment,
   arrange light-color to dark-color batch sequencing
•  Schedule production runs to minimize the number of
   color changes.

Recycle Materials
•  Reuse cleaning solution or solvent. Use dirty solvent
   for initial cleaning, then follow with clean solvent.
•  Use an on-site distillation unit to clean dirty cleaning
   liquid. This makes the solvent available for reuse in
   the production process. On-site distillation reduces
   both the cost of solvent disposal and fresh solvent
   purchase.
•  Recover solvents for reuse.
•  Collect and reuse any staining operations
   overspray.

Upgrade Your Operation's Equipment
•  Check with your state, local, or Tribal pollution
   prevention office for funding possibilities.

Are HVLP spray guns really better? Where can I
find out about training?
  HVLP guns are better if technicians are trained
properly. Toxic air pollutant emissions released during
a painting operation are directly related to the skill of
the spray gun operator.
   Properly used, HVLP spray guns often result in a
higher transfer efficiency, which results in reduced
overspray.
   Reduced overspray reduces costs and worker
exposure to toxic emissions.
   Information about training may be found at
•  Iowa Waste Reduction Center: www.iwrc.org/
   programs/STAR.cjm or call (800) 422-3109
•  Local or state pollution prevention offices
•  Spray equipment suppliers

What else can I do to reduce air pollution?
   Your community may already have groups
working for cleaner air. Your expertise and
knowledge can be very helpful to these groups.
   Many pollution prevention offices offer free on-
site assessments for interested businesses. A list of
these small business assistance programs  can be found
at www.epa.gov/smallbusiness. This site provides
information about assistance and technical help,
environmental experts, environmental regulations and
laws, funding, and cost-saving opportunities.
   Sponsor employee awards for good ideas, great
efforts, and dedication to pollution prevention. For
example, you could provide a cash award for workers
who implement a work practice that reduces both
costs and pollution.
               HEALTHY   AIR:   A  COMMUNITY  AND BUSINESS  LEADERS GUIDE

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 HEALTHY AIR
 Could your family
        be affected?

          One furniture
 manufacturer replaced
  all air spray guns with
HVLP guns and reduced
  the amount of coating
       needed to spray
       production parts
              by 39%.

 HVLP gun cost: $8,125.
     Payback period: 3
               weeks.
    Reason: Decreased
     coating purchases.
            — Pollution
                                      OWNER/OPERATOR  INFORMATION SHEET
                                                    Wood Furniture Operations
                                                                                                  9/12/2005
                          Resources

•  American Home Furnishings Alliance: vivivi.afina4u.org, (336) 884-5000

•  EPA Air Toxics Web Site: www.epa.gov/ttn/atw/

•  Community-Based Projects:  www.epa.gov/air/toxicair/community.html

•  National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants: Wood Furniture Manu-
   facturing Operations: www.epa.gov/ttn/atw/wood/riwood.html

•  Wood Furniture and Fixtures Industry Sector Notebook:
   www.epa.gov/compliance/resources/publications/assistance/sectors/notebooks/wdfu
   rnsn.pdf

•  Paint and Coatings Resource Center: www.paintcenter. org

•  University of Wisconsin Solid and Hazardous Waste Education Center:
   www.uwex. edu/ces/ag/sus/wood/pdfmdex/

•  Pollution Prevention: www.pprc.org/pubs/factsheets/laund7.html

Alternatives
•  Solvent Alternatives Guide: www.sage.rti.org

•  The Coatings Guide™: www.cage.rti.org

Toxicity of Solvents
•  Integrated Risk Information Systems (IRIS): www.epa.g-ov/ins
•  Air Toxics Health Effects Notebooks: www.epa.gov/ttn/hapindex.html
                               Ohio EPA 's Office of Pollution Prevention has published "Woodworking
                                 and Refmishing Pollution Prevention Opportunities, " which provides
                                 examples of how to calculate cost savings and environmental benefits.
                                 Any company can insert their material usage numbers and calculate
                                          potential cost savings and environmental benefits.

                                                                 — Office of Pollution Prevention, Ohio
                                                                   Environmental Protection Agency

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