Page 82: of Maritime Reporter Magazine (June 1998)

COATINGS & CORROSION CONTROL

Impoct Of Solvent Regulations On Ship Coating Users by Dr. Bernard R. Appleman, Executive Director, SSPC: The Society for Protective Coatings

This article describes some recent regulations affecting use of volatile solvents in coatings for ships. The operational, economic and other impacts are discussed for

U.S. Navy and private ships and structure owners.

Ship owners and operators are increasingly recognizing the signif- icance of coating systems for the effective construction, operation and maintenance of oceangoing vessels. Proper design, selection, and application of coatings can reduce the overall cost to owners and operators by minimizing downtime for maintenance and repair and by reducing fuel con- sumption and increasing vessel speed. In the drive to produce ships both quickly and competitively, however, owners have sought to reduce both construction and main- tenance costs, with coatings often being a major area for reductions.

Another important trend is the development of environmental reg- ulations regarding the manufac- ture, application and disposal of shipboard coatings. An important area of regulation is air quality, which is significantly affected by the emission of volatiles during the application and curing of coatings.

The following is a review of the recent round of U.S. EPA regula- tions on the emission of volatile components of coatings and the impact these rules are having on shipyards doing both commercial and US Navy shipbuilding and repair.

Recent Regulations on VOCs and HAPs for Shipbuilding

In the last three years, the U.S.

EPA has proposed and enacted sig- nificant new regulations affecting the solvents in organic and inor- ganic coatings used in shipyards.

In the past, regulations have been concerned with volatile organic compounds (VOCs). VOCs are pre- cursors to ozone, an air pollutant, which adversely affects the human respiratory system and damages crops and forests. It has been the target of regulations in the US since 1966 in California (Rule 66) and since 1970 nationwide (Clean

Air Act).

Under the 1990 CAA EPA iden- tified an additional 189 compounds for substances that were consid- ered hazardous when airborne.

These are designated as

Hazardous Air Pollutants or HAPs.

HAPs include most (but not all) commonly used coating solvents (toluene, MEK, xylene, MIBK).

Mineral spirits is a VOC, but not a

HAP. In 1994, EPA determined that for the shipbuilding regula- tion, VOCs would serve as a surro- gate for HAPs. Reducing VOC emission would automatically reduce volatile HAPs emissions as well. However, because these two classes of compounds fall under different portions of the regulatory

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