VOCs from Surface Coatings
VOC emissions from coatings result from the presence of solvents (and other organic compounds) in solvent-based and water-based coatings. Solvents are used in coatings as a vehicle to transfer the coating to a substrate and are released to the atmosphere by evaporation following application.
The National Pollutant Inventory shows that at a national level architectural coatings alone account for around 36,000 tonnes of VOC emissions per year, representing 6% of national anthropogenic VOC emissions. In Sydney architectural and industrial coatings (including automotive refinishing) account for around 15% of anthropogenic VOC emissions.
At a regional level VOC emissions contribute to the formation of ground level ozone, which is associated with increased rates of respiratory disease and mortality. The 2004 National Ambient Air Quality Status and Trends Report 1991 to 2001 notes that peak levels of ozone experienced by most jurisdictions are close to or above the national air quality goals. Direct exposure to VOCs contained in paint can be harmful to human health, especially in poorly ventilated indoor environments.
In March 2008 EPH Standing Committee agreed to commission a technical consultancy, to determine the VOC content and sales volumes of coatings sold in Australia. The outcomes of this consultancy will assist in the evaluation of the VOC emission reductions that could be attributed to different options for policy actions.
The study requires consideration and categorisation of the following groups of coatings:
• Architectural and decorative paints, enamels, clears and thinners
• Heavy duty coatings and thinners including marine coatings (primers, undercoats, varnishes etc.), road marking paint, single pack products, two pack products, and zinc rich products
• Industrial paints, enamels, clears and thinners, including fast dry alkyd top coats and primers nitrocellulose lacquers
• Timber finishes, including architectural and decorative, industrial and floor finishes (excluding wood preservatives)
• Automotive coatings and thinners (i.e. motor vehicle refinishing)
The study is primarily concerned with VOCs that participate in atmospheric photochemical reactions. Consistent with the definition used in the National Pollutant Inventory, the study will assume that VOCs are defined as organic compounds used in paint formulations, or associated with the application of paints, with a vapour pressure greater than 2 millimetres of mercury (0.27 kPa) at 25° C. This definition differs with that presently used by APAS, as well as definitions adopted in the US and Europe.
Call for tenders
The NEPC Service Corporation, on behalf of EPH Standing Committee, is calling for tenders to undertake a consultancy to survey coating products in the Australian market, and provide advice on:
• the grouping of coating products into functional product categories;
• VOC content and sales volumes of coating products and product categories;
• potential reductions in VOC emissions that could be achieved for different categories of coating products through different policy actions.
The brief for this consultancy can be found below. Please note that tenders are due to the NEPC Service Corporation on Friday 13 June 2008.
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