9/12/2005
HEALTHY AIR
Could your family
be affected?
To clean metal parts,
a company in Georgia
used to immerse an
industrial cloth in
lacquer thinner and
wipe the part clean.
Amount of lacquer
thinner waste produced:
15,632 pounds (39 55-
gallon drums)
Hazardous materials
disposal costs: $3,900
Then they changed
cleaning processes,
spraying the part with a
citrus-based cleaner
and wiping it clean, this
method reduced
lacquer thinner usage.
Amount of lacquer
thinner produced: 2,990
pounds (7 drums)
Hazardous materials
disposal costs: $700
— Georgia Department of
Natural Resources
OWNER/OPERATOR INFORMATION SHEET
Reducing Air Pollution from:
Metal Operations
Why should my metal 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 minimizes the amount of vapors
that escape.
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, and Tribal agencies
and may already voluntarily implement
pollution prevention practices. However,
increasing pollution prevention efforts
further minimizes impacts on human
health and the environment.
Why should I be concerned about
air pollution from my metal
operation?
• Metal operations can produce
emissions of toxic air pollutants,
including metals.
• Lubricants, degreasers, and cleaners
can release some toxic air pollutants
and volatile organic compounds
(VOC). Chemicals in these
substances can also react in the air to
form ground-level ozone (smog),
which has been linked to a number of
A metal precision casting company switched to a citrus-based solvent for
cleaning patterns used to make casting molds. This change reduced the
company's air toxics emissions by over 18,000 pounds a year.
— Pacific Northwest Pollution Prevention
Center
respiratory effects.
• Toxic air pollutants and particle
pollution (dust) containing metals can
result from the fumes generated by
soldering or welding operations. While
federal, state, local, and Tribal
regulations limit the amount of
emissions from metal operations,
dangerous releases of toxic air
pollutants can occur if a metal operation
is not in compliance with regulations.
How can I reduce air pollution from
my metal operation?
Substitute Materials
• Choose cleaners and degreasers such as
waterborne cleaners that have a lower
toxic air pollutant and VOC content.
• Use precoated or primed materials that
do not require any additional
lubrication.
• Use less volatile metalworking fluids to
reduce vaporization in heat treating.
Lower Emissions at the Source
• Securely cover all containers to reduce
the chance of spills when transferring
materials.
• Use funnels or pumps to avoid spills
when dispensing materials.
• Only open airtight containers when
adding or dispensing liquids. This
minimizes evaporative emissions and
waste.
• Reduce the amount of time that the
metal and metalworking fluids are
exposed to the air during cleaning,
melting, and die casting.
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OWNER/OPERATOR INFORMATION SHEET
Metal Operations
9/12/20C
Change Cleaning Procedures
• "Clean as you go" policies reduce the amount of
solvent needed for removing heavy build-up.
• Use mechanical cleaning such as scraping or wiping
before using solvents.
• Reuse cleaning solution or solvent. Use dirty solvent
for initial cleaning, then follow with clean solvent.
• Switch to a water-based cleaning system like an
ultrasonic cleaner, manual parts washers, automatic
spray equipment, or baths with agitation.
• Reduce storage time between metalworking and
finishing to offset the need for rust inhibiting oils.
Recycle Materials
• Use an on-site distillation unit to clean dirty cleaning
liquid. This makes the solvent available for reuse in
the production process.
• In metal casting, collect and recycle the dust from
furnaces and curing ovens by using
pyrometallurgical treatment, rotary kiln, or other
processes.
• Recycle oil, which does not need treatment before
recycling, from cutting/machining operations.
Change Processes
• Install an induction furnace for metal casting, which
emits about 75 percent less particle pollution and
vapors than other furnace types. An induction
furnace does not require combustion gases or
excessive metal temperatures.
• Centralize degreasing procedures to reduce and
better track use of solvents.
• Remove all paint and solvents from the area to be
welded to avoid generating toxic fumes during
welding.
• Reduce the amount of fumes by using welding rods
that produce a low fume and by using the least
amount of heat and toxic welding material allowed
by the manufacturer's manuals.
Upgrade Your Equipment
• Check with your state, local, or Tribal pollution
prevention office for funding possibilities.
EPA 's Sector Strategies Program has Environmental Management Systems available for metal
operations shops to use. An EMS helps metal operations shops integrate environmental decision
making into day-to-day operations.
— U.S. EPA
How does reducing solvent emissions save me
money?
Using an on-site distillation unit reduces the
amount of spent solvent sent off-site as well as the
amount stored on-site as hazardous waste, reducing
both the cost of solvent disposal and fresh solvent
purchase.
Examine and streamline production processes to
reduce overall cleaning solvent and degreaser use. For
example, monitor solvent quality and consolidate parts
washing processes. Service units only when the
solvent quality dictates.
How do I know what changes are best for my
operation?
One way to include environmental decision-
making into your daily business is to use an
Environmental Management System (EMS) to help
achieve continuous performance improvement. Metal
finishers throughout the U.S. have found that using
this plan-do-check-act approach creates a simple
framework to examine ways your operation can affect
the environment and tailor changes to meet your
unique needs.
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?
An aerospace
manufacturer replaced
1,1,1-trichloroethane and
methyl ethyl ketone
cleaning solvent with
non-toxic cleaner for
hand-wiping operations.
Workers prefer this
cleaner because it is
more efficient and leaves
less residue. The
change reduced toxic
emissions by thousands
of pounds and saves
$250,000 per year.
— Pacific Northwest
Pollution Prevent
Resource Center
One shop used a
stamping lubricant that
can remain on the piece
until the annealing
process. This resulted in
savings of $12,000 from
reduced disposal, raw
material, and labor
costs. Waste was
reduced from 30,000
pounds in 1982 to
12,000 pounds in 1986.
Working conditions also
improved by removing
vapors associated with
the old cleaning process.
— U.S. EPA
OWNER/OPERATOR INFORMATION SHEET
Metal Operations
9/12/2005
Resources
• National Association of Metal Finishers: www.namf.org, (407) 281-6445
• EPA Air Toxics Web Site: www.epa.gov/ttn/atw/
• Community-Based Projects: www.epa.gov/air/toxicair/community.html
• Owner Operator Information Sheet for Electroplating Operations
• Assessment and guidance: www.ecy.wa.gov/pubs/99412.pdf
• Good operating practices: dep.state.ct.us/wst/p2/industry/p2options.pdf
• Pollution prevention opportunities and impediments:
www.ganet. org/dnr/p2ad/pblcations/metal. html
• Biochemical Substitutions in the Metal Plating and Finishing Industry:
www.carbohydrateeconomy.org/library/admin/uploadedfiles/BiochemicalJSubstituti
ons_in_the_Metal_Plating. html
EPA's Sector Strategies Partnership Program
• EPA's Sector Strategies Partnership Program for the Metal Finishing Sector:
www.epa.gov/sectors/metalfmishing/index.html, (202) 566-1961
• EPA's Sector Strategies Partnership Program for the Metal Casting Sector:
www.epa.gov/sectors/metalcasting/index.html, (202) 566-1407
Environmental Management Systems
• Metal Finishing Sector: www.epa.gov/sectors/metalfinishing/ems.html#ems
• Metal Casting Sector: www.epa.gov/sectors/metalcasting/ems.htmMdiecastems
Sector Notebooks
• Fabricated Metal Products Sector Notebook:
www.epa.gov/compliance/resources/publications/assistance/sectors/notebooks/fab
metsn.pdf
• Metal Casting Industry Sector Notebook:
www.epa.gov/compliance/resources/publications/assistances/sectors/notebooks/met
cstsna.pdf
Topic Hubs
• Pollution Prevention Resource Center:
www.pprc. org/hubs/toc. cfm ?hub =24&subsec= 7&nav=7
• Northeast Waste Management Officials' Association:
www.newmoa. org/prevention/topichub/toc. cfm ?hub =23&subsec=7&nav=7
Toxicity of Solvents
• Integrated Risk Information Systems (IRIS): www.epa.gov/iris
• Air Toxics Health Effects Notebooks: www.epa.gov/ttn/atw/hapindex.html
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