Within a few years, high-solvent
paints and other coatings may be
a thing of the past, according to
several sources within both government
and industry.
Strict rules are already in place
in several California counties,
limiting volatile organic compounds
(VOCs), a key ingredient
in oil-based paints and finishes.
Similar stringent restrictions are
scheduled to go into effect within
the next year in the new York
City metropolitan area, New
Jersey, and the Dallas-Fort Worth
region of Texas.
The trend is expected to continue
because metropolitan areas
throughout the country are struggling
to meet the ozone pollution
standard established by the
Federal Clean Air Act in the
early 1970s.
The federal Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA) does
not prescribe ways to meet the
standard, but it is exerting