Until now these very low-VOC customers purchased these coatings because of their concerns for personal safety. At the same time the vast majority of waterborne coatings were formulated at about 250 g/L volatiles, which offers excellent film formation and provides acceptable performance properties for the many types of waterborne coatings sold.
As we all are aware, the volatile content of coatings has been more than an issue of choice; it has evolved during the last 40 years into the topic of many government regulations, both state and federal. The coatings industry has responded to each successive regulation with products that comply with the rule and still deliver most of the performance properties necessary to fulfill the function of paint - to protect and decorate. Keeping up with the regulations has cost the coatings industry dearly, forcing many small paint companies to close when unable to reformulate their products to comply with the regulations.