Amid a dizzying array of product performance requirements, standards, regulations, and engineering and cost limitations, manufacturers of adhesives and sealants for interiors must dedicate themselves to formulating high-performance products that are both safe and acceptable to demanding markets. In recent years, volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions have gained increased attention as consumers and green building professionals seek to ensure safe and healthy indoor environments.
Green building programs, construction codes, and government regulations in countries around the world are increasingly demanding low-emitting building products, furnishings, and wet products such as adhesives and sealants. Many of these requirements are new and still evolving, saddling manufacturers with the challenge of keeping track of yet another criterion that must be considered in product formulation, QA testing, and go-to-market strategy.
Limiting VOC emissions is a critical aspect of ensuring that environments are acceptable for human occupants. Demand for low-emitting products is continually on the rise. Adhesive and sealant manufacturers have an opportunity to incorporate VOC emissions criteria into their products as a way to ensure their safety and acceptability for indoor environments, as well as a way to differentiate themselves and reach growing green markets. The starting point is for manufacturers to understand VOC emissions, how emissions differ from VOC content, and what is involved in testing for each.
Adhesives and sealants manufacturers have long been familiar with the importance of VOCs, which are critical to the performance of their products. VOCs often lend adhesive and sealants the critical attributes to effectively perform their intended purposes. But upon discovering the potential health hazards posed by VOCs, many environmental agencies turned to methods for measuring VOC content as a way to determine their acceptability for use. In Section 183 (e) of the Clean Air Act Amendment of 1990, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) proposed measuring paint content in an attempt to minimize detrimental VOC release in the outdoor air. U.S. EPA Method 24 was developed as the standard and measures VOC content based on gravimetric weight loss of a product when heated. VOC content refers to the amount of VOCs in the product formulation.