subject: Paint And Coatings Manufacturers Address Indoor Air Quality Concerns [print this page] Manufacturers of architectural paints and coatings have long been impacted by federal, state and regional regulations regarding the volatile organic compound (VOC) content of their products. The intent of these regulations is to limit the formation of ground level ozone and smog in urban areas. All of the regulations have defined categories for various coating types. The U.S. EPA has a national regulation covering architectural and industrial maintenance (AIM) coatings that is applicable in areas of the country without state or regional regulations. The California Air Resources Board (CARB) regulates air quality for the entire state. They have developed an AIM VOC Suggested Control Measure (SCM) that has been adopted by all regional air quality management districts except the SCAQMD in Southern California. The SCAQMD has its own Rule 1113, which is the strictest regulation in the country. However, the rule may not be broadly applicable due to the specific climatic conditions in the region. The Northeast Ozone Transport Commission is a coalition of 13 northeastern states that has created their own regulation similar to the CARB SCM.
Against this regulatory background, there is a growing interest in the potential impacts of paints and coatings used inside buildings on indoor air quality. Consequently, many green building standards, such as USGBCs LEED rating systems, and newly developing green building codes have adopted the strictest outdoor regulations, i.e., SCAQMD Rule 1113, as a requirement for indoor coatings. However, the rule only requires the reporting of total VOC content minus the content of certain VOCs that are of low concern with respect to smog formation. Health concerns, on the other hand, are related to exposures to specific toxicants. This requires determination of the individual VOCs that are emitted from coatings into indoor air. There are several approaches that can be used to address the speciation issue. Paint testing of bulk products can be conducted using ASTM Standard Method D6886. This is a chromatographic method in which the individual compounds in water-based paint are separated, identified, and quantified. Thus, any chemicals of concern are identified. The other approach is to conduct VOC emissions testing of interior paint and coating products using a widely recognized method such as CDPH Standard Method V1.1. By this method, the coating is applied to an appropriate substrate and VOC emissions are determined using environmental chambers. The rates at which individual VOCs, including chemicals of concern, are released to air after the paint has cured are measured directly, and the results are used to model potential impacts on inhalation exposure concentrations in buildings. A number of major paint manufacturers are now electing to perform individual VOC content analysis and VOC emissions testing using third-party testing organizations that offer these analytical laboratory services.
