Health,
Safety and Environmental
Increasing usage of waterborne acrylic coatings is due in part
to an ever-increasing awareness of health, safety, and environmental
issues by the government, specifiers, applicators and facility
owners. Increasing scrutiny by federal, state and local regulators
is being placed on volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and hazardous
air pollutants (HAPs). In the United States, government regulators
have established limits on VOC and HAP levels for the manufacturing
and use of architectural and industrial coatings in an effort
to curb emissions. These efforts have led to the increasing use
of coating technologies, such as high-solids solventborne coatings,
powder coatings and waterborne systems, as alternatives to the
traditional solventborne coatings.
Waterborne acrylic coatings, in particular,
are an attractive alternative to traditional solventborne coatings
such as oil-based alkyds. The most obvious difference is that
of the liquid medium. Whereas many alkyd coatings are supplied
in combustible solvents such as mineral spirits, waterborne
acrylics use water as the main liquid carrier. There are many
health, safety and environmental benefits which result from
this difference in liquid carrier, such as:
- Lower volatile organic content (VOC) -
less impact on environment
- Low odor (especially important when painting
interiors)
- Less concern over worker exposure to hazardous
solvent fumes
- Can also lead to improved “cycle
time” for various trades
involved in a project
- Lower or no risk of fire from handling
flammable solvents
- Can translate into lower insurance
costs
- Easy and safer cleanup - rinsing of brushes,
rollers and spray equipment with water is often sufficient
- Any waste that is generated is likely
to be less hazardous, have less impact on the environment,
and be easier and less costly to dispose.
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