Also referred to as 1-bromopropane and n-propyl bromide, nPB has been used as an industrial solvent for many years with great success. However, based on research that led the U.S. Department of Health’s National Toxicology Program (NTP) to identify nPB as a solvent that is “reasonably anticipated to be a human carcinogen”, companies and organizations that use the solution in have started to implement nPB safe alternatives that are safer for workers to use.
What Defines nPB Safe Alternatives?
There are plenty of efficacious nPB alternatives on the market, but how do you determine which of them are actually safer than nPB? One way you can make the assessment is by referring to “hazard statements” that are a part of the Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labelling of Chemicals (GHS). So, a safe alternative for nPB would not have the following hazard statements from the GHS.
- H225
This hazard statement indicates that nPB is a “highly liquid flammable and vapor”. To reduce the risk of fires and burn injuries, choose an alternative that has a high flashpoint or is unflammable.
- H315
Indicated by this statement is the fact that nPB “causes skin irritation”. Because some solvents that have a better safety profile can cause skin irritation, too, consult your solvent supplier about the level of irritation in relation to the level of exposure time before choosing an alternative.
- H319
This hazard statement sheds light on the fact that nPB “causes serious eye irritation”. Because some solvents that are safer can also cause skin irritation, consult your solvent supplier about the level of irritation in relation to the level of exposure before you select an alternative.
- H335
As indicated by this hazard statement, one of the most common negative health effects that nPB exposure causes is “respiratory irritation”. When identifying alternatives, focus on solvents that have less volatility and contain no hazardous air pollutants (HAPs).
- H336
This hazard statement identifies nPB as a potential cause of “drowsiness or dizziness”, which could place workers at greater risk for workplace injuries. Again, When identifying alternatives, focus on solvents that have less volatility and contain no hazardous air pollutants (HAPs).
- H360
Yet another hazard statement that addresses the negative health effects of nPB, H360 identifies nPB as a cause of potential harm to “fertility or the unborn child”. By implementing an alternative that doesn’t pose the risk, you better protect both workers and their unborn children.
- H373
This hazard statement addresses one of the most toxic effects of nPB on human physiology: “damage to organs”. Damage typically occurs after “prolonged or repeated exposure”. Implementing an alternative that contains no toxic ingredients is the best way to prevent the negative outcome.
Searching for nPB Safe Alternatives?
If so, and you need guidance on selecting the best alternative regarding your specific cleaning operations, our team of experienced chemists is here to help. Once we know why and how you use nPB, we identify stock solutions that serve as ideal replacements. Or, if stock solvents don’t address your needs, we produce a custom solvent that does. In either case, you can receive a free product sample to test the efficacy of the solution.
To get started on identifying safe solvent alternatives for nPB, call us today at (800) 563-1305, or fill out the contact form on our website. We look forward to helping you protect the health of your workers.
Hazardous Chemical Usage Evaluation: An Overview
/in HAPS/by Industrial DegreasersThere was a time when the terms “industrial chemical” and “hazardous” were practically synonymous. Prior to the 1950s, hazardous chemical usage evaluation was largely non-existent on a public level. It was a time when people were more amazed at how well toxic solvents worked than anything negative the solvents might bring to human health and the environment.
Then and Now
Since the middle of the 20th Century, our perception of chemical usage evaluation has changed quite a bit. Today, companies and organizations tend to ask whether a prospective solvent has negative effects — and, if so, what the effects mean to workers and the environment — before they consider how well it could work for the cleaning application.
It’s a really good idea to take this perspective. Not only does our current state of chemical usage evaluation help companies be better stewards to the environment and their workers, who routinely handle chemicals; it also helps companies avoid using solvents that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is preparing to ban or severely regulate.
For example, the cleaning solvent ak225 has been banned, and nPB appears to be well on its way to the same end. For entities that use a toxic solvent in a large volume, replacing the solution with a safer one is now no longer just an option; it’s a necessity.
Evaluation Criteria
As complex as the formulation of certain solvents may be, the EPA makes performing a chemical usage evaluation on most solvents rather simple. The EPA is primarily concerned with banning and significantly regulating the use of solvents that contain hazardous air pollutants (HAPs) that are harmful to humans and the environment. Included in these pollutants are many volatile organic compounds (VOCs), despite their organic formulation.
Today, the EPA maintains what’s known as the List of Lists, which is a list of chemicals comprised of substances that have a profoundly negative effect on life and limb. The list is quite long, but it’s ultimately the result of nearly 30 years of gradually banning or regulating toxic chemicals based on chemical usage evaluation performed by top laboratories.
The EPA has taken a “gradual” approach primarily to avoid the negative economic impact of suddenly telling companies that they can no longer use a chemical that’s crucial for business. Rather, regulations and bans are generally announced well in advance, giving companies at least a few months to find suitable replacement solutions.
In other words, the EPA tries to help companies save time and money on replacements. However, if you ignore impending bans and regulations, spending time and money finding a replacement could be the least of your worries. Cleaning operations could grind to a halt, and you could face stiff fines.
Need Hazardous Chemical Replacements?
If the EPA’s chemical usage evaluation of your solvent means the cleaner will soon be banned or regulated to the point that you can no longer use it, contact Ecolink. We’ll provide you with a stock solvent or a custom solvent that offers the power you need, without having a highly hazardous formulation. To get started, call us today at (800) 563-1305, or fill out our contact form.
Choosing Automotive Cleaning Solvents for Heavy Duty Vehicles: 4 Scenarios
/in Ecolink News/by Industrial DegreasersUnless you’re in the business of producing automotive cleaning solvents, the prospect of choosing them may feel like reading Shakespeare in Greek. But, in all fairness, as the customer, you’re the one who must make an informed choice. Regarding automotive cleaning solvents for heavy duty vehicles, such as the ones listed below, that’s what we’re here to help you do.
Dump trucks unusually encounter the most wear in the rear holding compartment, but the compartment is designed to be banged with heavy objects and filled with oversized loads year after year. In most cases, more important than cleaning the carrier bin is degreasing the truck’s motor and associated parts. Dump trucks for industrial facilities and big construction projects can remain in motion for several hours — and for some projects, usage is around the clock.
Potential Solution: Consider using NAVSOLVE Low VOC Degreasing Solvent. You can learn about the solvent here.
We all know what an army tank does: It cruises over rough terrain with ease and threatens enemies with the ability to deliver a cannon blast that can level buildings. Because the effectiveness of tanks ultimately depends on their speed and mechanical reliability, the wheels and tracks of the tank often receive the thoroughest maintenance focus. However, practically every motion a tank makes signifies the need to degrease the parts that facilitate movement.
Potential Solution: Consider using BULLDOG Maximum Effectiveness Degreaser. You can learn about the solvent here.
3. Police Tank
Lots of police officers are ex-military. So, some people who wear the blue uniform should feel right at home behind the steering mechanism of a tank. Unlike tanks that are used in military campaigns, police tanks — both the military variety that has no barrel and the ATV variety that’s comprised of bullet proof surfaces — are only used in special situations. As they wait to be deployed, these tanks need to be cleaned inside and out as a part of general maintenance.
Potential Solution: Consider using PREPTONE Low-VOC Handwipe Solvent. You can learn about the solvent here.
4. Asphalt Machine
If you drive an asphalt machine down a roadway or across a parking lot, it means one of two things: you’re a rich, eccentric thrill seeker, or you work for an asphalt company. Probably the latter. If you know about operating asphalt machines professionally, you understand that the holding unit of the machine accumulates layer after layer of tar quickly. What should you do to remove those seemingly irremovable, black accretions?
Potential Solution: Consider using ECOLINK 2005 Non-flammable Contact Cleaner. You can learn about the solvent here.
Need Cleaners for Heavy Duty Machinery?
If so, give us a call, and let us help you select the best automotive cleaning solvents for your needs. We don’t supply solvents for the average car owner, but we do specialize in industrial grade cleaning solvents for the toughest applications. Reach us at (800) 563-1305, our use our contact form. We look forward to supplying solutions for your heavy equipment cleaning needs.
Cancer Causing Chemicals – Cheap Chemicals Are Costly in the End
/in HAPS/by Industrial DegreasersWhen it comes to cancer risk, using cancer causing chemicals in the workplace is similar to smoking cigarettes. People are often exposed to cancer causing agents countless time before they develop the disease that ends their life. But some people, as if they thumbed their nose at fate, never develop the disease.
Even so, betting against scientific evidence and continuing to use inexpensive cancer causing chemicals like trichloroethylene (TCE) and 1-bromopropane (nPB) is bad business, to say the least. Just ask attorneys that specialize in chemical injury lawsuits. They try and win thousands of chemical injury lawsuits each year, costing companies millions of dollars in settlements and legal fees.
Chemical Injuries Galore
Chronic chemical injuries from substances such as TCE and nPB usually rear their ugly head over a period of years. Like a smoker who religiously puffs away at cigarettes for decades, until a amalgam of abnormal symptoms leads to a diagnosis of the “big C”, a worker who inhales hazardous chemical vapors can go for years without showing chronic ill effects, but the exposure often takes its expected course and turns him into a walking dead man.
Courtesy of Resource4thePeople — an online source for free legal help and information — the following statistics from the past year give a ballpark idea of how many chemical injury cases are likely to see the inside of a courtroom and generate six-figure and seven-figure settlements.
According to Willens Law Offices in Chicago, “More than 10 percent of the occupational deaths are attributed to environmental and chemical exposure.” It’s a sobering statistics for companies that use cancer causing chemicals for solvent applications. It’s also a statistic that’s preventable when a company replaces toxic chemicals with non-toxic ones, and equips workers with personal protective equipment (PPE) that eliminates remaining exposure risks.
Choosing Replacement Solvents
Over the years, companies have elected not to replace solvent with cancer causing chemicals for various reasons. Two of the biggest reasons have been difficulty finding substitute solvents that don’t have cancer causing chemicals and deliver the same power, and difficulty finding a replacement solvent that can be “dropped in” without requiring downtime during the changeover.
From a business perspective, there was a time when these concerns were legitimate, but they aren’t anymore. Solvents that have a better safety profile than ones such as TCE and nPB and have just as much cleaning power are available online. Ecolink has emerged as one of the top destinations for these solvents.
Contact Us About Cancer Causing Chemical Replacements
If you use solvents that have cancer causing chemicals, don’t wait until Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) bans them, or the solvents cause workers to develop health problems. Save money, the health of your workers, and the hassle of replacing solvents on short notice by getting started on selecting replacements today. Call us at (800) 563-1305, or send us an email through the contact form on our website.
nPB Safe Alternatives According to GHS Hazard Statements
/in N-Propyl Bromide/by Industrial DegreasersAlso referred to as 1-bromopropane and n-propyl bromide, nPB has been used as an industrial solvent for many years with great success. However, based on research that led the U.S. Department of Health’s National Toxicology Program (NTP) to identify nPB as a solvent that is “reasonably anticipated to be a human carcinogen”, companies and organizations that use the solution in have started to implement nPB safe alternatives that are safer for workers to use.
What Defines nPB Safe Alternatives?
There are plenty of efficacious nPB alternatives on the market, but how do you determine which of them are actually safer than nPB? One way you can make the assessment is by referring to “hazard statements” that are a part of the Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labelling of Chemicals (GHS). So, a safe alternative for nPB would not have the following hazard statements from the GHS.
This hazard statement indicates that nPB is a “highly liquid flammable and vapor”. To reduce the risk of fires and burn injuries, choose an alternative that has a high flashpoint or is unflammable.
Indicated by this statement is the fact that nPB “causes skin irritation”. Because some solvents that have a better safety profile can cause skin irritation, too, consult your solvent supplier about the level of irritation in relation to the level of exposure time before choosing an alternative.
This hazard statement sheds light on the fact that nPB “causes serious eye irritation”. Because some solvents that are safer can also cause skin irritation, consult your solvent supplier about the level of irritation in relation to the level of exposure before you select an alternative.
As indicated by this hazard statement, one of the most common negative health effects that nPB exposure causes is “respiratory irritation”. When identifying alternatives, focus on solvents that have less volatility and contain no hazardous air pollutants (HAPs).
This hazard statement identifies nPB as a potential cause of “drowsiness or dizziness”, which could place workers at greater risk for workplace injuries. Again, When identifying alternatives, focus on solvents that have less volatility and contain no hazardous air pollutants (HAPs).
Yet another hazard statement that addresses the negative health effects of nPB, H360 identifies nPB as a cause of potential harm to “fertility or the unborn child”. By implementing an alternative that doesn’t pose the risk, you better protect both workers and their unborn children.
This hazard statement addresses one of the most toxic effects of nPB on human physiology: “damage to organs”. Damage typically occurs after “prolonged or repeated exposure”. Implementing an alternative that contains no toxic ingredients is the best way to prevent the negative outcome.
Searching for nPB Safe Alternatives?
If so, and you need guidance on selecting the best alternative regarding your specific cleaning operations, our team of experienced chemists is here to help. Once we know why and how you use nPB, we identify stock solutions that serve as ideal replacements. Or, if stock solvents don’t address your needs, we produce a custom solvent that does. In either case, you can receive a free product sample to test the efficacy of the solution.
To get started on identifying safe solvent alternatives for nPB, call us today at (800) 563-1305, or fill out the contact form on our website. We look forward to helping you protect the health of your workers.
Finding nPB Solvent Replacements: How Using Free Samples Can Help
/in N-Propyl Bromide/by Industrial DegreasersnPB (a.k.a. 1-bromopropane and n-propyl bromide) works great as an industrial solvent for several types of applications, including asphalt production, foam cushion gluing, and general cleaning. However, the solvent’s chemical efficacy is overshadowed by the U.S. Department of Health’s statement that nPB is anticipated to be carcinogenic to humans — a finding based on experiments that studied the effects of the solvent on mice in a controlled laboratory setting.
Benefits of Using Free Solvent Samples
The health risks nPB poses have also led the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to set usage limits on the solvent, regulations that make it difficult for industrial outfits that use nPB in large volumes to continue the current level of usage without incurring penalties.
So, companies and organizations have at least two good reasons to look for nPB solvent replacements, but that doesn’t make the selection process any easier. One thing that can simplify the process is receiving free solvent samples to test potential alternatives before you officially order a replacement solution. Using free solvent samples in this capacity offers the important benefits below.
From a standpoint of cost effectiveness and productivity, the last thing you want to do is purchase a supply of solvent that doesn’t meet your requirements. You may not be refunded for opened containers — and even if your unopened containers are refunded, you’ll have to wait at least a few days for the solvent to be returned, and then replaced with a more effective one.
Performing trial and error with prospective replacement solvents can become time consuming and expensive if you acquire a salable supply of each solvent you test. Using free solvent samples both helps you avoid paying for ineffective solvent and avoid creating room in the solvent storage area to store potential replacement solvents while they undergo testing.
When testing nPB solvent replacements, the goal is to test solutions that figure to be a good fit for your requirements. A provider of free solvent samples, such as Ecolink, helps you refine the solvent selection process by targeting solvents that match your needs. Unless you refine solvent selection in this manner, you could literally end up testing hundreds of different solvents.
In most cases, free samples of nPB solvent replacements are stock solvents that are available for immediate shipment. However, if it turns out that you need a custom solvent that is tailored to address unique requirements, testing stock solvents can quickly lead you to the right conclusion. When the custom solvent is ready, you can test a free sample of it, as well.
Looking for nPB Solvent Replacements?
If the answer is yes, why not let us supply you with a free sample of a replacement solvent that’s a good fit for your needs? All you need to do is request a free sample through our website, and then test the sample to see if it fully complies with your requirements — no strings attached.
If you wish to speak with our chemists before placing a sample order, please call us today at (800) 563-1305. We look forward to providing you with a safe replacement for nPB solvent.