South Coast AQMD Approves pCBtF, t-BAc Restrictions for Consumer Paint Thinners
The South Coast Air Quality Management District Governing Board adopted amendments to Rule 1143, Consumer Paint Thinners and Multipurpose Solvents, that establish future restrictions on several compounds that have historically been treated as exempt from conventional VOC limits.
The amendments prohibit parachlorobenzotrifluoride (pCBtF), tert-butyl acetate (t-BAc) and specified volatile methyl siloxanes in affected products manufactured after Sept. 1, 2027. Products manufactured before that date may continue to be sold through Sept. 1, 2029, providing a two-year sell-through period.
The rule also includes an optional Product Weighted Maximum Incremental Reactivity, or PW-MIR, VOC limit as an alternative compliance mechanism. South Coast AQMD has been moving away from reliance on several exempt compounds as toxicological and air-quality concerns have changed the regulatory treatment of those materials.
The district filed its Notice of Exemption for the amended rule Oct. 2, confirming that the agency had approved the regulatory action.
The action gives formulators, raw-material suppliers and downstream users a defined timeline for moving away from pCBtF and t-BAc in this product category. The issue also fits into the broader formulation work already underway around exempt-solvent replacements and lower-reactivity alternatives.
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