HEALTHY AIR
A COMMUNITY AND BUSINESS LEADERS GUIOI
Could your family
be affected?
One manufacturer
successfully replaced
lead pigments used for
corrosion resistance with
yttrium, which is 100
times safer as a dust
than lead at typical
levels of use. Use of
yttrium in the coating
also eliminates the need
for a chrome
pretreatment in the
finishing process. Use of
the yttrium coating
should eliminate up
to 1 million pounds of
lead in this coating
application over the next
several years.
— PPG Industries
9/12/2005
OWNER/OPERATOR INFORMATION SHEET
Reducing Air Pollution from:
Paint and Coating Manufacturing
Why should my paint and coating
manufacturing 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.
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. I-Iowever,
increasing pollution prevention efforts
can further minimize impacts on human
health and the enviromnent.
Why should I be concerned about air
pollution from paint and coating
manufacturing operations?
•	Paint and coating manufacturing
operations can produce hazardous air
pollutants, including heavy metals.
•	Mixing and cleaning operations 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.
•	Pigment grinding and milling emit
particle pollution (dust), which can
contain heavy metals and other toxic
air pollutants. While federal, state,
local, and Tribal regulations limit the
amount of emissions from paint and
coating manufacturing operations,
dangerous releases of toxic air
pollutants can occur if a paint and
coating manufacturing operation is
not in compliance with regulations.
How can I reduce air pollution from
my paint and coating
manufacturing operation?
Change Products
•	Eliminate the use of heavy metals
such as chromium, lead and mercury
in coating mixtures. Non-hazardous
biocides are available to replace
mercury'-containing coatings
designed to kill bacteria.
•	Reformulate coatings to higher solid
coatings, waterborne coatings,
powder coatings, or ultraviolet (UV)
light-cured coatings.
Lower Emissions at the Source
•	Cover tanks during blending, mixing,
and while waiting to transfer the
paint or coating into packaging.
•	Cover tanks to reduce leakage of
vapors.
•	Cover all materials securely to reduce
the chance of spills when transferring
materials.
Change Cleaning Procedures
•	Mandate a "clean as you go" policy
to reduce the amount of solvent
needed for removing heavy build-up.
One manufacturer recycles and reuses 95% of the solvent used in the
cleanup process, which reduces emissions and the amount of
solvent purchased.
— Pollution Solutions

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OWNER/OPERATOR INFORMATION SHEET
Paint and Coating Manufacturing
9/12/2005
•	Where tanks can be cleaned manually, use a wiper or
squeegee rather than solvents.
•	Use a high pressure spray hose to clean tanks. This
reduces the amount of solvent needed.
•	Reuse cleaning solution or solvent. For example, use
dirty solvent for initial cleaning. Then follow with
clean solvent.
•	Use cleaners with low toxic air pollutant and VOC
content, such as water-based cleaners.
•	Dedicate equipment to a single product, or family of
products that are similarly colored, to reduce the
need for equipment cleaning between batches.
Recycle and Reformulate Materials
•	Reuse dust captured by a baghouse during pigment
grinding.
•	Set up, or participate in, a paint exchange program
where customers return unused paint that can be
reworked into future products.
•	Rework or blend off-specification materials into new
products.
Reduce or Eliminate Toxic Emissions
•	Reduce emissions of particle pollution by using a
baghouse to collect dust.
•	Use pigments in a slurry' or paste instead of in dry
form, to minimize dust.
•	Grind or mix raw ingredients with sandmills instead
of ballmills. Sandmills are more efficient and require
less solvent for cleanup.
Upgrading equipment and reformulating paint may
be better, but how expensive is it?
Though reformulating coatings or using new or
different processes may be more expensive, raw material
costs may decrease. Also, these coatings reduce the
amount of toxic air pollutants emitted at your operation
as well as operations using the coatings.
If you decide to upgrade the equipment in your
operation, check with your state, local, or Tribal
pollution prevention office for funding possibilities.
How can I inform my customers about
reformulated paints?
Users of reformulated paints and coatings may not
have used these types of paints before and may require
training to inform them that these paints and coatings
will have the same functionality as conventional
formulations.
Provide workshops and/or information about the
advantages and disadvantages of reformulated paints
and coatings. Emphasize reductions in toxic air
pollutant emissions, safety hazards, and the use of
potentially toxic solvents.
At your operation, institute management
procedures and goals that require an evaluation of
pollution prevention techniques before any products
are formulated or re-formulated. Communicate to
suppliers your commitment to your pollution
prevention procedures and goals.
Also, sponsor or participate in a paint exchange
program where customers can return paints to be
reworked into other paints.
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. Tliis site provides
information about assistance and technical help,
environmental experts, environmental regulations and
laws, funding, and cost-saving opportunities.
Refer your customers to Web sites for the Solvent
Alternatives Guide iynvw.sage.rti.org) and The
Coatings Guide™ (www.cage.rti.org) where they can
increase their understanding of reformulated paints
and coatings. Stay involved with trade associations
and keep up to date with industry developments
through industry-related Web sites.
Also, 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.
til spk tat
HEALTHY AIR: A Community and Business Leaders Guide
2

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HEALTHY AIR
A COMMUNITY AND BUSINESS LEADERS GUIOI
Could your family
be affected?
One paint manufacturer
recycles and reuses 95%
of the solvent used in the
cleanup process. The
company estimated that it
generates $9,600
annually in savings from
reductions in waste
generation and solvent
consumption.
—The Carbohydrate
Economy
Clearinghouse
OWNER/OPERATOR INFORMATION SHEET
Paint and Coating Manufacturing
Resources
National Paint and Coatings Association: www.paint.org, (202) 462-6272
EPA Air Toxics Web Site: www.epa.gov/ttn/atw/
EPA's Sector Strategies Partnership Program for the Paint and Coatings Sector:
www.epa.gov/sectors/paintcoatings/index.html, (202) 566-2958
Community-Based Projects: www.epa.gov/air/toxicair/community.html
Resource Center: www.paintcenter.org
Topic hub: www.pprc. org hubs toe. cfin ?hub =28&subsec= 7&nav=7
Assessment and guidance: www.ecy.wa.gov/pubs/98410.pdf
Good operating practices: dep.state.ct.us/wSt/p2/industry/optindex.htm
Special Chem: www.paintandcoatings.com
National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants
Miscellaneous Coating Manufacturing: wwm>.epa.gov/tWatw/mcm/mcmpg.html
Miscellaneous Organic Chemical Manufacturing and Miscellaneous Coating
Manufacturing: www.epa.gov'ltn atw m$g. monpg. html
Alternatives
Solvent Alternative Guide: www.sage.rti.org
The Coatings Guide: www.cage.rti.org
The Carbohydrate Economy:
www.carbohydrateeconomy.org/library/admm/upIoadedJiIes/Biochemical_Siibstitiiti
onsJn_the_Paint_Industr.html
Toxicity of Materials
•	Materials suppliers
•	Integrated Risk Information System (IRIS): www.epa.gov/iris
•	Air Toxics Health Effects Notebooks: www.epa.gov/ttn/atw/hapindex.html
EPA's Sector Strategies Program works within the paint and coating
manufacturing sector to assess opportunities for improving
environmental performance while reducing regulatory burden.
— U.S. EPA
9/12/2005

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