California Air Resources Board

SACRAMENTO – The California Air Resources Board today announced a $299,000 settlement with PPG Industries Inc., a global manufacturer of paints, coatings and specialty materials headquartered in Pittsburgh, Pa., for the company’s violation of state air quality regulations.

PPG sold, supplied and offered for sale noncompliant paint thinners and aerosol clear-coating products that were manufactured for use in California, but which exceeded the state’s air quality requirements.

Manufacturers are expected to be familiar with CARB regulations, to take sufficient quality control measures, and to label their products’ uses for the applicable category. Manufacturers also must consistently inform distributors and retailers of the products’ compliance.

“CARB is committed to enforcing consumer product rules to improve the air we all breathe and to help California meet federal ozone standards that protect public health,” CARB head of enforcement Todd Sax said. “Manufacturers such as PPG carry the greatest responsibility of supplying Californians with consumer products that comply with emissions standards. Their attention to the legal requirements related to the manufacture, importation and distribution of products significantly impacts California’s air quality.”

The PPG paint thinner products contained concentrations of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and aromatic compounds that exceeded state standards, a CARB investigation revealed. Additionally, the aerosol coating products exceeded the reactivity limit for clear coating as specified in state regulation. Together, the violations resulted in 5.42 tons of excess VOC emissions, 15.15 tons of excess aromatic compounds, and the formation of 2.98 tons of excess ground-level ozone.

VOCs are gases released from solid or liquid products (everything from paint to hair spray), which contribute to ozone formation. An element of smog, ozone causes respiratory health effects including lung irritation, shortness of breath and coughing, and can aggravate asthma and other lung diseases.

PPG cooperated fully with CARB to resolve this matter and ceased sales of the noncompliant products to come into compliance with the state’s air quality regulations.

Of the $299,000 that PPG agreed to pay, $149,800 will be deposited into CARB’s Air Pollution Control Fund, which funds projects and research to improve air quality. The remaining $149,200 will fund a supplemental environment project titled “Side Street Projects – Woodworking Bus.” The project will fund the purchase of new buses to replace older diesel-powered buses used for mobile classrooms. The mobile classrooms are used to teach woodworking skills to elementary school students.

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