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Heavy Metals Rules for Refinish Products PPG manufactures a wide variety of coatings. There are many ingredients that are used in coatings formulations which when combined provide properties, both protective and decorative, required by the customer. Each ingredient has a specific purpose in a formulation. Some of these products may contain metals, as pigments for color or anticorrosive properties or as additives for performance enhancements. Some of these ingredients, which are described as "heavy metals," are categorized by their higher density on the periodic chart. There are regulations in the U.S. and other countries that are designed to limit exposures to specific heavy metals due to environmental, health and/or safety concerns. Managers of coatings operations have the responsibility to be familiar with these regulations and assess how they may affect their employees and their business. Before using a coatings product, the entire product label and Safety Data Sheets (SDS) should be reviewed. It is essential that facilities understand what they are working with and how to safely handle products. A number of the regulations that may affect our refinish customers are listed in this bulletin. These regulations may cover the substrate repair and coatings application processes (OSHA), the applied and cured coating product ingredient content- as delivered to the customer (RoHS) or the waste management and disposal process (RCRA/TCLP). All relevant regulations should be reviewed to understand their full intent. Besides the regulations listed in this bulletin, there may be other federal, state and local rules applicable to coatings facilities. Other heavy metals not covered in this bulletin may be regulated in different areas of the world. This review is not intended to be all inclusive. It is the responsibility of coatings facility operators to maintain an up to date knowledge of all applicable laws and regulations. OSHA standards The presence of certain metal and metal compound components may contribute to potential Environmental, Health and Safety (EHS) risks associated with the use or disposal of specific products. Some metals, such as but not limited to lead, hexavalent chromium, cadmium and selenium are regulated by various federal and regional governmental agencies. In 2006, the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) published a new standard for hexavalent chromium. There are also OSHA standards for lead and cadmium. The OSHA standards set Permissible Exposure Limits (PEL) for the workplace, which if exceeded, require the implementation of specific compliance activities. Compliance activities may include: workplace monitoring, medical surveillance, Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) including respiratory protection, hygiene practices, housekeeping, hazard communication training, establishment of regulated areas and engineering controls. Another option for reducing exposures would be to substitute products for those items that contain the heavy metals of concern. HMRules.doc Page 1 of 4