Protests against regulation of solvent levels in paints
italian chemical group Unionchimica is strongly protesting against a proposal of the European Commission aimed at regulating the levels of volatile organic compounds (vocs) in decorative paints, varnishes and vehicle-refinishing products.
vocs are carbon-based compounds that easily evaporate into the atmosphere. They contribute to the formation of ground-level ozone (smog), which is one of the biggest environmental problems in the European Union. Exposure to vocs can damage liver, kidney and the central nervous system. Some vocs are also suspected to cause cancer. They also affect the photosynthesis process by damaging the pigment of the leaves.
The commission's proposed limits (50 grammes of vocs per litre of the products) would result in an annual reduction of 50 per cent or 280 kilotonnes of voc emissions, at a cost of us $ 157 million a year. The commission estimates the abatement would bring health-related benefits worth us $582 million a year. The draft proposal is expected to come into force by 2010. This is for the first time that efforts have been made to restrict voc content for the whole of Europe.
Unionchimica says the plan would have a "disproportionately negative impact' on small and medium-sized enterprises. The group estimates the directive would cost businesses us $300 million, because new stainless steel equipment would be needed to switch over from solvent-based to water-based production, along with training costs.
Given their size, capabilities and financial status, many of the small and medium-sized enterprises would not be able to make the transition, say officials of Unionchimica. However, the commission argues that there should be no major problems for the industry, because they would be a 1 to 1.5 per cent hike in the prices of the products. According to the commission, the industry has already made a big shift when it started using solvent-borne raw materials instead of water-borne ones. The directive would simply build on that process.