EPA finalizes wood finish emission standards at plants

HIGH POINT — The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has finalized wood finish emissions standards that will help control exposure to air pollutants at manufacturing facilities.

The findings affect factories with major source Title V air permits that spray coatings, according to Bill Perdue, vice president of regulatory affairs at the American Home Furnishings Alliance.

The standard was issued in 1998 and is known as a National Emissions Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants, or NESHAP, and covers 180 pollutants.

The latest rules are a result of a risk assessment done by the EPA as a requirement of the Clean Air Act, Perdue said. The agency has posted the rules on its website at epa.gov.

The risk assessment issued three final requirements that become effective Nov. 21, 2014. States implement and enforce the standards after that time, Perdue said.

The review puts a limit on formaldehyde in spray adhesives, eliminates spray line emission exemptions during the startup and shutdown of facilities with control devices or permit limits, and puts a restrictions limit on conventional spray guns operated above 10 pounds per square inch, according to Perdue.

The NESHAP was one of dozens of regulations tracked by AHFA in 2011 and worked with EPA officials throughout the review process, reviewing data and submitting comments as needed.