Final Amendments to Air Toxics Standards for the Surface Coating of Wood
Building Products: Fact Sheet
ACTION
•	On December 20, 2018 the US. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) finalized
amendments to the Surface Coating of Wood Building Products National Emission
Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants (NESHAP).
•	EPA is finalizing these amendments to enhance the effectiveness of the rule by
improving compliance with federal air emissions standards and increasing the efficiency
of data submissions.
•	On May 28, 2003, EPA issued the Surface Coating of Wood Building Products air toxics
emission standards. The rule applies to facilities that perform surface coating operations
to produce a variety of products including flooring, interior paneling and exterior siding.
•	The emission units covered under the NESHAP include all coating operations; coatings
conveyors and transfer equipment; and storage, mixing and waste containers.
•	Following a residual risk and technology review conducted under the Clean Air Act
(CAA), EPA is:
o Eliminating the startup, shutdown and malfunction exemption,
o Requiring facilities to submit electronic copies of compliance reports, including
performance tests, semiannual reports and notices of compliance status,
o Requiring all deviations to be reported in semiannual reports,
o Adding an alternative compliance demonstration equation.
o Requiring periodic performance testing for facilities demonstrating compliance with
the standards using the new alternative compliance demonstration equation,
o Providing a 6-month period to allow affected facilities sufficient time to understand
the changes and achieve compliance.
•	EPA is issuing these amendments to improve the effectiveness of the rule. Because risks
were found to be acceptable, EPA is not promulgating any specific amendment to
reduce residual risk.
RESIDUAL RISK ASSESSMENT
•	The CAA requires EPA to assess the risk remaining after application of the final air toxics
standards. This is known as a residual risk assessment.
•	After assessing the risk from exposure to toxic air emissions from the surface coating
wood building products, EPA is finalizing its determination that the emission standards
provide an acceptable level of risk with an ample margin of safety to protect public
health.
•	The maximum individual cancer risk for inhalation for the source category is estimated
to be 1-in-l million.
•	The maximum individual chronic non-cancer Hazard Index for the source category is
estimated to be below 1.
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•	The maximum acute hazard quotient is below 1.
•	The risks are low and well within what is considered acceptable.
TECHNOLOGY REVIEW
•	The CAA requires EPA to assess, review and revise air toxics standards as necessary,
taking into account developments in practices, processes and control technologies since
the standards were first issued.
•	The technology assessment for surface coating of wood building products did not
identify any technological developments to reduce emissions of hazardous air
pollutants.
BACKGROUND
•	The CAA requires EPA to regulate toxic air pollutants, also known as air toxics, from
categories of industrial facilities in two phases.
•	The first phase is "technology-based," where EPA develops standards for controlling the
emissions of air toxics from sources in an industry group (or "source category"). These
maximum achievable control technology (MACT) standards are based on emissions
levels that are already being achieved by the best-controlled and lower-emitting sources
in an industry.
•	Within 8 years of setting MACT standards, the CAA directs EPA to assess the remaining
health risks from each source category to determine whether the MACT standards
protect public health with an ample margin of safety and protect against adverse
environmental effects. This second phase is a "risk-based" approach called residual risk.
Here, EPA must determine whether more health-protective standards are necessary.
•	Also, every 8 years after setting MACT standards, the CAA requires that EPA review and
revise the standards, if necessary, to account for improvements in air pollution controls
and/or prevention.
•	The Surface Coating of Wood Building Products NESHAP is one of 96 air toxic standards
that require 174 industry sectors to eliminate 1.7 million tons of 187 toxic air pollutants
that are listed by Congress in the CAA.
FOR MORE INFORMATION
•	To download a copy of the final rule notice, go to EPA's website at
https://www.epa.gov/stationary-sources-air-pollution/surface-coating-wood-building-
products-national-emission-standard-1.
•	Today's action notice and other background information are also available either
electronically at http://www.regulations.gov. EPA's electronic public docket and
comment system, or in hardcopy at the EPA Docket Center's Public Reading Room.
o The Public Reading Room is located at EPA Headquarters library, room number
3334 in the EPA WJC West Building, 1301 Constitution Avenue, NW, Washington,
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DC. Hours of operation are 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. eastern standard time,
Monday through Friday, excluding Federal holidays,
o Visitors are required to show photographic identification, pass through a metal
detector and sign the EPA visitor log. All visitor materials will be processed
through an X-ray machine as well. Visitors will be provided a badge that must be
visible at all times.
o Materials for this action can be accessed using Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OAR-2016-
0678.
• For further technical information about the rule, contact John Bradfield at EPA's Office
of Air Quality Planning and Standards, at (919) 541-3062 or at bradfield.john@epa.gov.
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