Proposed Amendments to Air Toxics Standards for the Surface Coating of
Wood Building Products: Fact Sheet

ACTION

•	On April 23, 2018, the US. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) proposed to amend
the 2003 Surface Coating and Wood Building Products National Emission Standards for
Hazardous Air Pollutants (NESHAP).

•	The EPA is proposing these amendments to enhance the effectiveness of the rule by
improving compliance with - federal air emissions standards and increasing efficiency of
data submissions.

•	This action includes emission units covered under the NESHAP, including all coating
operations; coatings conveyors and transfer equipment; and storage, mixing and waste
containers.

•	EPA issued the Surface Coating and Wood Building Products air toxics emission
standards on May 28, 2003. The rule applies to facilities that produce a variety of
products including flooring, interior paneling and exterior siding.

•	Following a residual risk and technology review conducted under the Clean Air Act
(CAA), the EPA is proposing to:

o Eliminate the startup, shutdown and malfunction exemption.

o Require periodic air emissions performance testing once every five years for facilities
subject to the standards for surface coating of wood building products and opting to
use add-on controls to demonstrate compliance with the standards,
o Require facilities to submit electronic copies of compliance reports, including
performance tests.

•	The EPA will accept comment on the proposed amendments for 45 days after
publication in the Federal Register.

RESIDUAL RISK ASSESSMENT

•	The CAA requires the EPA to assess the risk remaining after application of the final air
toxics standards. This is known as a residual risk assessment.

•	Based on the completed risk assessment, available health information and associated
uncertainties, the EPA determined risks from the surface coating wood building
products sector to be acceptable and provide an ample margin of safety to protect
public health.

•	The maximum individual cancer risk for inhalation for the source category is estimated
to be 6-in-l million.

o The maximum acute hazard quotient is below one.

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TECHNOLOGY REVIEW

•	The CAA also requires the EPA to review and revise the maximum achievable control
technology (MACT) 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 the 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 the 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 eight years of setting MACT standards, the CAA directs the 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, the EPA must determine whether more health-protective standards
are necessary.

•	Also, every eight years after setting MACT standards, the CAA requires that the EPA
review and revise the standards, if necessary, to account for improvements in air
pollution controls and/or prevention.

FOR MORE INFORMATION

•	To download a copy of the proposed rule notice, go to the 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. the 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,
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.

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o Materials for this proposed action can be accessed using Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-
OAR-2016-0678.

• For further technical information about the rule, contact John Bradfield at the EPA's
Office of Air Quality Planning and Standards, at (919) 541-3062 or at
bradfield.john@epa. gov.

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