EPA's VOC rules for consumer and commercial products

On August 15, 1998, the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced new rules setting specific limits on the amount of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) included in consumer and commercial products, and requiring manufacturers to reformulate these products to meet the new standards. The new rules are meant to control emissions of VOCs, which help make up ground-level ozone. Ground-level ozone--the main component of smog--can pose serious health threats, especially to the elderly, children and those with respiratory illness.

Why regulate consumer and commercial products?

The federal Clean Air Act originally focused on reducing VOC emissions from automobiles, factories and power plants. States have since significantly cut emissions from these sources, and further controls in these areas would be very costly and achieve only relatively small VOC reductions. Amendments to the Clean Air Act passed in 1990 required EPA to study consumer and commercial products for their contributions to VOC emissions. EPA found that these products give off about six million tons of VOCs each year (about 30 percent of the national total), and that regulating them would be a relatively cost-effective way to cut VOC emissions.

EPA compiled a list of the products responsible for at least 80 percent of total VOC emissions from consumer and commercial products in areas of the country that don't meet national ground-level ozone standards. The Agency divided these products into four groups, one of which they will begin regulating every two years. The first group includes architectural coatings, household consumer products and auto refinishing coatings. Manufacturers and importers of these products, along with other major stakeholders, had significant input into the rule-making process. Instituting the new rules may cost less than estimated because some products may already meet the standards.

Details of the new rules

The rules for architectural coatings:

• cover products such as interior and exterior paints, wood coatings and traffic paints;
• should reduce VOC emissions by 113,500 tons per year (20 percent reduction from 1990 levels);
• should cost the industry $32 million per year, with minimal impact on consumers;
• include compliance options for manufacturers who may not be able to meet the rules immediately.

The rules for household consumer products:

• cover cleaning products, personal care products and some insecticides;
• should reduce VOC emissions by 90,000 tons per year (20 percent reduction from 1990 levels);
• should cost the industry $27 million per year, with a less than one percent increase in consumer costs.

The rules for auto refinishing coatings:

• cover primers and topcoats;
• should reduce VOC emissions by 32,000 tons per year (33 percent);
• should cost $5 million per year;
• do not affect individual body shops, only larger coating manufacturers and importers.

Sources for more information

For the complete final rules, visit EPA's website and look under "recent actions" at the following address: http://www.epa.gov/ttn/oarpg.

For more information on specific rules, contact:

• Ellen Ducey for architectural coatings, (919) 541-5408 or e-mail ducey.ellen@epa.gov;
• Bruce Moore for consumer products, (919) 541-5460 or e-mail moore.bruce@epamail.epa.gov; or
• Mark Morris for auto refinishing coatings, (919) 541-5416 or e-mail morris.mark@epamail.epa.gov.

For more general air pollution information, visit the EPA Office of Air and Radiation's home page at the following address: http://www.epa.gov/oar/, or contact Josie Pradella in the Wisconsin DNR Bureau of Air Management at (608) 267-0815.