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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