Scratching beneath the surface: new regulations limit air pollutants in automotive refinishing products

Protecting the environment and health of Canadians is one job that can’t be painted over.

A new set of government regulations seeks to limit the concentration of air pollutants in automotive refinishing products because of the serious threats they pose to the environment. The regulations are an important step forward in the government’s commitment to ensuring clean air for all Canadians.

A recipe for smog

The new Volatile Organic Compound (VOC) Concentration Limits for Automotive Refinishing Products Regulations limits the concentration of chemicals in 14 categories of coatings and surface cleaners that are used to refinish or repair the painted surfaces of automobiles, trucks and other mobile equipment. VOC concentration limits are consistent with the requirements of leading jurisdictions, such as California and the European Union.

VOCs form particulate matter and ground-level ozone, the two main ingredients of smog.VOC emissions come from natural and human-made sources -- natural sources such as vegetation and forest fires and human-made sources such as transportation vehicles, solvents and industrial sources.

In 2003, VOCs were added to the List of Toxic Substances in the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999.

Reductions to benefit our health and the environment

The regulations are expected to reduce the annual amount of VOCs resulting from the use of automotive refinishing products by an estimated 40 per cent. The total amount of emissions is expected to be reduced by 71,100 tonnes over 25 years.

Combined with other reduction initiatives proposed under the Regulatory Framework for Air Emissions announced in April 2007, VOC regulations are expected to incrementally reduce ground-level ozone and particulate matter which will benefit human health, agriculture, forestry and ecosystems.

Committing to clean air

VOC regulations are further proof of Canada’s ongoing commitment to clean up the air we breathe. They are also an integral part of our country’s on-going commitment to the Canada-U.S. Air Quality Agreement, which sees both countries working to reduce VOC emissions from consumer and commercial products.

These new regulations will help reduce the presence of the compounds that form smog, benefiting human health and the environment.