The South Coast Air Quality Management District (SCAQMD)said it will co-sponsor a study designed to develop zero-VOC stains, waterproofing sealers and clear wood finishes.

DIAMOND BAR, CA — The South Coast Air Quality Management District (SCAQMD), which sets regulations on stationary air-pollution sources in the Los Angeles area, said it will co-sponsor a study designed to develop zero-VOC stains, waterproofing sealers and clear wood finishes.

The district, which has enacted the toughest VOC restrictions anywhere in the United States, said an Arcadia, CA-based company, AVES, will carry out testing of a new, no-VOC resin in the stains, sealers and wood finishes targeted by the study. Also a partner in the study is Adhesives Coatings Co. of Burlingame, CA, a company that has developed a zero-VOC, water-based resin for metal finishes.

In the research project, AVES will adapt the resin technology for use in stains and sealers, the SCAQMD said. The district said it will contribute $185,000 to the study, while AVES and Adhesives Coatings Co. will provide a combined total of $372,500. An objective of the research is the development of products that would comply with a third and final phase of reduced VOC limits scheduled to go into effect in 2006 in the Los Angeles area.