KINGSPORT, TN - Eastman Chemical Co. said legislation approved by the European Parliament has given non-VOC status to the company's Texanol ester alcohol solvent. The company said the action is the result of a measure adopting new standards defining what constitutes VOCs.

"Based on these new EU standards, Eastman's Texanol ester alcohol is an environmentally friendly coalescing aid for...water-based flat and semigloss paints," the company said. Eastman said the solvent's properties include a boiling point above 250 °C and a "very high flash point."