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NEWS RELEASE § NEWS RELEASE |
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Ron Golden, Chair, Government Affairs, 770-801-3206
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" 'Green' Technology Gains Landmark Exemption from Clean Air Permitting"
RULING FOLLOWS EPA STATEMENT THAT TECHNOLOGY NOT ONLY REDUCES,
BUT "ESSENTIALLY ELIMINATES EMISSIONS" ABOUT UV/EBBethesda, MD---Ultraviolet and electron beam curing (UV/EB) has been officially recognized as an environmentally friendly technology by one of the strictest air quality control boards in the nation. The South Coast Air Quality Management District (SCAQMD) in southern California has given the go ahead for immediate installation of UV/EB exempt processes by the printing, coatings, and laminating industries, without having to wait months for a permit.
UV/EB involves the use of ultraviolet (UV), electron beam (EB), or visible light to polymerize or "cure" inks, coatings, and adhesives without the potential polluting effects of solvents. This technology is used in a wide range of applications including fiber optics, compact discs, wood flooring, credit cards, beverage cans, magazine covers, and automotive parts. Traditional curing methods involve hot air and/or oven drying which typically takes much longer than the fraction of a second for UV/EB, and often results in emissions of air polluting compounds (VOCs).
"It is not easy to gain an exemption from a government agency's rules," says Martha Marrapese of Keller and Heckman LLP, a law firm in Washington D.C. "Given the cost of permit processing and the long wait and hurdles companies go through when applying for a permit, this exemption is an excellent incentive for users to consider UV/EB, especially if they want to expand their operations."
"UV/EB is an environmentally proactive industrial process, and this exemption is essentially a 'seal of approval' by the government," says David Harbourne, President of RadTech. "This follows last year's written testimony to a Senate subcommittee by Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Carol Browner that UV/EB technology not only reduces emissions to the EPA-required levels, but essentially eliminates them altogether. In addition to saving users the high cost of equipment for the collection and destruction of polluting compounds, these coatings provide faster production, improved efficiency, reduced energy costs and frequently, improved performance. For these reasons, the UV/EB industry has been growing at over twice the rate of the traditional coatings industry over the last several years."
RadTech International North America is a nonprofit trade association with nearly 800 members that use and supply UV/EB equipment, raw materials and formulated products. The premiere industry event is the RadTech Conference and Show, next scheduled April 9–12, 2000, at the Baltimore Convention Center, Baltimore, Maryland.