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.

-------
                       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

-------
 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

-------