The Future of U.S. VOC Regulations

摘要

Management of volatile organic compounds (VOC) by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) was first established more than a quarter century ago. The scheme is binary. A chemical is classified as a VOC. A few are exempt from VOC classification. Perhaps this is why you are using an aqueous cleaning system when you had been satisfied with a solvent cleaning system. Many firms in the metal-working industries have been hamstrung by the paucity of choices compliant with this regulatory approach. Essentially all choices of chemicals for lubrication, cooling, flushing, and cleaning are regulated as VOCs-without regard to their relative potential to generate smog. This column is about how that might, or might not change, and why. As a representative of Metal Finishing, I attended the recent Reactivity Work Group (RRWG) meeting at EPA Laboratory, Research Triangle Park, N.C., which was a major source of information.