What Does Low VOC Mean?

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What does low VOC mean? Low VOC refers to low volatile organic compounds. These are chemicals that have a low toxicity level, which is safer for both the user and the environment. VOCs if not handled properly can cause illness and injury to the user, or have a negative impact on the environment. Some states have even placed bans and restrictions on some VOCs like MEK and mineral spirits. If you are looking for low VOC chemical alternatives that are both safer to use, and better for the environment, you should consider green chemical alternatives. 

Green chemical alternatives, or environmentally preferred chemical alternatives are low VOC and can accomplish many of the same tasks that traditional chemicals are used for. Practices like parts washing, metal working, industrial cleaning and more can all benefit from the use of low voc, environmentally preferred, chemical alternatives.

So what does low voc mean? Low VOC chemicals and chemical alternatives are simply low toxicity chemicals and solvents that are healthier for your employees and the environment. If you are interested in working with a chemical supplier that can help you find the right low VOC solutions for your needs, Ecolink can help.

How Can Ecolink Help You?

  • Expert Knowledge – Whether you are looking for traditional industrial chemicals, low VOC chemicals, or green chemical alternatives, Ecolink can help. Ecolink has a dedicated team of chemical experts who will work with you to assess your needs and find the perfect chemical to get the job done.
  • Bulk Sizing –Ecolink offers convenient bulk sizing including 5 gallon buckets and 55 gallon drums, which provide the added benefit of bulk pricing.
  • High Quality – For 30 years, Ecolink has been supplying safe, stable, high quality chemicals for an affordable price. When you work with Ecolink you never have to be concerned about the purity of the chemicals you receive. 

What Does Low VOC Mean and Where Can You Learn More?

For more information about low VOCs, chemical solvents, and green chemical alternatives, contact Ecolink here! Ecolink and their team of dedicated professionals are ready to help you find the best solutions for your needs!

 

Why Low Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) are Important

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Even though the word is getting out concerning the harmful effects of industrial cleaners, groups such as the Air Quality Management District feel it is not spreading fast enough. In a time where everyone to some degree, should be doing their part to make changes to their daily habits that could benefit the environment and the health of our planet, it comes as a shock to many at the AQMD that people are still so freely willing to expose themselves to harmful chemicals when there are cleaning materials with safe heavy duty solutions.

The harmful chemicals that emanate from these products are known as Volatile Organic Compounds, or VOCs. VOCs harm the planet, the environment, and anyone who comes into contact with the noxious gases. Exposure can lead to long lasting effects, even death from too much exposure. What the AQMD wants to do is make sure companies and people know that there are green alternatives that produce Low VOCs. Low VOC Cleaners are now on the market, and if you have not already made the switch, you should right away and promote ecofriendly alternative cleaners.

The difference in the VOC emission is so significant that the AQMD estimates that the clean air index can be significantly reduced, and smog in many of the metropolitan cities that deal with this thick grotesque air could see elimination of the noxious cloud. The AQMD, along with several other concerned organizations are trying to make it mandatory for companies to switch to Low VOC Cleaners, since it does not require significant increase in expense. As a matter of fact, almost all of the green alternative degreasers and cleaning solutions are cheaper than their harmful predecessors.

These environmentally conscious organizations believe that fining companies for the continued use of harmful chemical emissions should be instituted. Considering the need to preserve our environment as best we can, coupled with an actual savings in overhead by switching to a green alternative cleaning solvent, and it is hard to argue against the mandatory change and fines for not being compliant.

Looking for a low VOC cleaner? Call us today or shop our products conveniently online!

Reducing Exposure to VOC Chemicals: 4 Strategies

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Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are chemical compounds that have a high vapor pressure at normal room temperature (roughly 72 degrees). Their high vapor pressure results from their low boiling points, which accounts for their swift transition from liquid to vapor, and gives them their “volatile” nature.

VOCs may be organic — a term we typically associate with healthy, sustainable products — but don’t let the word “organic” in volatile organic compounds fool you. Just as there are plenty of healthy organic substances, there are plenty of unhealthy ones, too — and VOC solvents often contain more than one of these dangerous substances.

That’s why we’re taking the time to discuss strategies you can take for reducing VOC chemicals in the workplace. By reducing VOC exposure, you’ll help prevent short-term effects of exposure to dangerous VOCs (e.g., headaches, dizziness, and respiratory distress), and help eliminate long-term effects of exposure (e.g., cancer, liver damage, and central nervous system (CNS) damage).

  1. Low VOC / VOC-free Replacements

We’ll start with the best option — and usually the most cost effective one — first: replacing solvents that have a plentitude of VOCs with solvents that are used for reducing VOC chemicals. It’s the same as with solving other problems in the workplace: Removing the source of the problem is the most effective way to remove its consequences. Ecolink can supply you with solvents that are low VOC or have zero VOC content.

  1. Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)

The next best solution for reducing VOC chemicals in terms of the health protection is to implement Level 3 PPE that features an aspirator that removes airborne contaminants. This level of PPE essentially encloses the worker in a protective envelope that prevents the inhalation of toxic vapors, as well as skin contact with them. PPE can be expensive, but, in the legal arena, it isn’t nearly as costly as the chemical injury lawsuits it helps to prevent.

  1. Special Air Filtration Technologies

Any company or organization that works with VOC solvents should have an air filtration system that removes VOCs from the air in the work environment. However, an air filtration system alone is rarely enough to prevent health problems that occur due to VOC exposure. The filtration system seldom captures VOCs immediately after they vaporize, which is often when the most intense level of exposure occurs.

  1. Sealed Parts Washing Systems

If you must absolutely use a solvent that has medium to high VOC content, using it in a sealed parts washing system is typically the best-case scenario. But the scenario is dependent on using a parts washing system that automatically transfers the solvent to a waste trap, or condenses the solvent in a cooling chamber that prepares the solvent to be reused.

Who We Are

Ecolink is a longtime supplier of industrial grade, environmentally preferred and environmentally safe solvents that are used for various applications, from general degreasing to removing flux residue. In addition to supplying stock solvents, we also accept custom orders that address the needs of specific customers. To learn more about our products and services, please call us today at (800) 563-1305, or use the contact form on our website.

The Benefits of Using a HAPS Free Solvent

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Hazardous air pollutants (HAPS) are substances that commonly emanate from chemical solvents that have a high rate of evaporation. Both artificial chemicals and natural compounds can contribute to the level of HAPs in the work environment, with volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that vaporize at room temperature being especially difficult to manage and control.

Why Use a HAPS Free Solvent?
As recently as a few decades ago, a HAPs free solvent was relatively hard to acquire, as companies tended to use toxic solvents, and wished to avoid the hassle of switching to new ones, and also because environmental conscientiousness was not as profound as it is today. However, as more HAPs free solvents hit the market, and their benefits became more well-advertised, many users of traditional solvents made the switch to a HAPs free solvent.

Helps Protect Workers
HAPs can cause acute health problems, such as respiratory distress and upset stomach. The toxic pollutants can also lead to chronic health problems in those who have a high level of exposure to them over time, such as nerve damage and potentially cancer. For companies whose workers who develop chronic health conditions due to HAPs exposure, costly legal settlements, workers compensation payments, and loss of business productivity are the norm.

Helps Reduce Operating Costs
Effectively protecting workers from HAP exposure requires at least two things: a high level of personal protective equipment (PPE) and a ventilation system that quickly removes the largest percentage of HAPs from the work environment. Consequently, switching to a HAPS free solvent can help reduce operating costs by making certain protective measures unnecessary.

Helps Protect the Environment
HAPs also have a deleterious effect on the environment. Although the pollutants are airborne, they can be delivered by rainfall into water bodies and soil. Over the past two decades, this is one reason why the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has been so motivated to regulate and ban solvents that contain HAPS, and levy large fines against companies that fail to comply.

Complies With EPA Regulations
To date, the EPA has severely regulated or banned the use of hundreds of solvents that contain HAPs. Unless your company uses an exceptionally small volume of a regulated, toxic solvent, switching to a HAPS free solvent is the optimal choice. In doing so, you remove the threat of EPA fines for exceeding emission caps, and you needn’t worry about the solvent being banned.

Looking for a HAPS Free Solvent?
If so, the solvent specialists at Ecolink will help you choose an eco friendly solvent that delivers the same cleaning power as the toxic solvent it replaces, if not more cleaning power. We sell a wide array of pre-formulated, HAPS free solvents, and we can also create a custom, HAPS free cleaning solution if our inventory doesn’t contain a solution that meets your cleaning needs.

For information on transitioning to a HAPS free solvent, call us today at at (800) 563-1305 to schedule a free consultation, or fill out the contact form on our website. We look forward to helping you create a safer cleaning process for your workers and the natural environment!

Why Does Low VOC Matter?

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low vocNowadays, more products are being promoted as offering low VOC (Volatile Organic Compound), non VOC, VOC free, or properties with similar wording. First, we must discuss what “low” or “no” VOC actually means and whether it really matters. Volatile Organic Compounds, or VOCs, are organic compounds that have a high vapor pressure at normal room temperatures. The high vapor pressure of VOCs stems from having a low boiling point, which causes the molecules from the VOCs to evaporate and become released into the air in a gaseous state. Compounds with high vapor pressure and low temperatures could emanate seriously harmful toxic agents that can hurt people and our environment, and the fact that VOC’s evaporate so easily is an even more cause for concern.

People spend most of their time indoors, especially at work, at home or in public buildings. The quality of the air we breathe is already under scrutiny due to the frequent releasing of toxic agents from power plants, energy facilities, and even the vehicles we operate. Our country’s concern stems from evidence proving that our Ozone Layer is weakening, and that empirical information shows that toxicities from VOCs is one of the main culprits. Because the United States has recently increased the nation’s focus on indoor air quality, the topic of VOCs has become quite prevalent. People are spending so much of their time indoors; therefore, indoor air quality matters even more.

As stated previously, VOC is all about the migration of chemical substances into the air we breathe. One does not have to be a chemist to understand that finding methods of reducing VOCs is pivotal to improving air quality. We need to find ways to reduce the use of VOCs, especially in the workplace, so that we can preserve the health and safety of our population, animals, and all of the flourishing life on earth. The first order of business is to educate businesses, especially those involved in industry, that frequently use great quantities of VOC’s, and help them find eco friendly, green alternative methods of chemical usage. Luckily, thEcolink1ere are companies that provide assistance and guidance in informing businesses of their unreasonably high carbon footprint, and how the use of VOCs can be drastically reduced, perhaps even eliminated.

Ecolink is such a company. They are leaders in providing industrial solvents & degreasers with either non toxic cleaners or reduced toxins. Ecolink will help industrial businesses get away from the constant use of VOCs and instead use an eco friendly, green alternative substitute that will function as efficiently and effectively as other more toxic compounds. Please contact Ecolink and find out how your business can reduce its carbon footprint, and help preserve all life on earth. An Ecolink representative will be happy to assist you, and you will soon be on your way to doing your part in protecting life, health, and well being.