Tag Archives: Paint Stripping
New EPA Regulations for Auto Repair Shops
posted by Inna
The EPA has recently released new regulations, effective January 2011, on requirements for paint stripping operations and surface coating. This includes the creation of a plan to reduce Methylene Chloride (MeCl), a cleaning solvent, to below one ton for each paint stripping operation (181 gallons per year). The regulation also updated capture of surface coating spraying to 98%. The goal is to prevent MeCl evaporation and ensuing air contamination. The EPA recommends to keep the heat of the spray gun as low as possible.
Other significant requirements include:
- All spray painting work must be done in a booth
- Painters must do spray painting using High Volume Low Pressure (HVLP) spray guns or their equivalents
- All painters must complete a training course on the proper use of spray gun and maintain them properly
- Spray gun cleaning must be done in a manner that prevents atomized particles from escaping outside the collection area. The gun must then be kept in a closed airtight container.
- Ongoing monitering and documentation of Notices of Compliance and training certificates
This development is significant in that car owners may be charged more for repair work in the short run: The capital cost of adjustments is estimated at $20 million. In the long run, this cost is predicted to be offset by savings from streamlined use of labor or materials. In the interim, The Small Business Environmental Assistance Program (SBEAP) is available to provide assistance to facilities working towards complying with this new rule. This service is confidential and free of charge.
The good news is that most paint stripping facilitates already meet these requirements, but if you have noticed a rise in prices in your local auto shop, it just may be part of the 1,000 that have yet to meet the new regulations.
A Notice of Compliance from these facilities is due by March 11, 2011.
Those not effected by the new regulations include: Armed Forces of the United States, those parties associated with military munitions and their transport,researchers working on surface coating in laboratories,and most importantly:
Individual car-owners, provided that they do not coat more than two cars a year.
Car enthusiasts and technicians who prefer to make their own adjustments are released from purchasing equipment to meet these regulations.
(Surface coating or paint stripping is also allowed if it meets the Environmental Protection Agency’s definition of “quality control activities” or are covered under another section of the National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants.)
More information on these regulations can be found on the official Summary of Regulations Controlling Air Emissions from Paint Stripping And Miscellaneous Surface Coating Operation pamphlet and in more detail in the EPA’s Subpart HHHHHH.
Summary of Regulations Controlling Air Emissions from Paint Stripping And Miscellaneous Surface Coating Operation
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