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Closed Consultation
VOC Emissions from AIM Coatings
The following ENGO delegates attended the consultation on September 20, 2006 in Toronto:
For more information on the meeting, please read the ENGO report.
Background Information
Information available on Environment Canada’s website.
The architectural and industrial maintenance (AIM) coatings sector is comprised of coatings which are purchased and applied by both consumers and contractors. Products include paints, stains, varnishes and many other types of coating and sealing products which are intended for in-situ application to buildings, furniture, pavement, concrete, metal and a wide variety of surfaces present in residential, commercial, institutional, and industrial settings.
The architectural coatings sector may be subdivided into two broad categories: consumer (trade) coatings and industrial maintenance coatings. Consumer coatings include those applied to interior and exterior surfaces of buildings, furniture, fences and other surfaces by either consumers or contractors. Industrial maintenance coatings are coatings used to maintain and protect non-residential surfaces where the primary function of the coating is protection. They are typically not available to consumers and are most often applied in an industrial setting.
Volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions from the architectural coatings sector result from the use of solvents in both solvent and water based paint. The solvents in paints and coatings are used as a vehicle to transfer the paint to a substrate and are released to the atmosphere by evaporation following application. Due to the nature of painting applications, it is not feasible to capture and control VOC emissions resulting at the point of use. The best option to reduce VOC emissions from architectural paints is to reformulate products to contain lower levels of VOCs.
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