Also known as 1-Bromopropane and n-propyl bromide, nPB is a powerful chemical compound that excels at removing heavy accumulations of grease from various materials with noted efficacy. However, in recent years, the safety of the solvent has come under fire from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and sister organizations due to the solvent’s toxic formulation that demonstrates carcinogenicity in experiments involving lab mice.
The information from mice studies has been extrapolated to propose that nPB is also a carcinogenic solvent to humans. If you’re considering implementing nPB as a general degreasing solvent, and you have some basic questions about the compound, the answers below can provide the information you need to guide you to nBP degreasing alternatives.
- If nPB solvent is carcinogenic to humans, why it is still used?
Currently, nPB is still used because the EPA hasn’t officially added the solvent to its list of banned chemicals. However, many regulatory agencies at the state and federal levels have instituted regulatory measures that pertain to how the solvent can be used. This essentially means that nPB users must use the solvent in a limited capacity in order to reduce health threats to workers, who use the solvent in a high volume on consistent basis.
- What health problems can large-scale nPB use pose to workers?
The health problems nPB causes workers range from relatively minor to profoundly severe. Minor health ailments that nPB causes include: dizziness, upset stomach, and respiratory distress. Severe health problems that NPB causes include: the potential to cause cancer, permanent damage to the central nervous system (CNS), and blurred vision that makes it dangerous for workers to use nPB and other business-critical cleaning solvents.
- How can continuing to use nPB degreasers impact my company?
Aside of regulatory requirements, the primary impact of using nPB degreasers pertains to how it affects workers. Employees consistently deploy nBP can lead to lack of productivity on the workfloor due to the minor effects of nPB exposure, which can in turn lead to an increased number sick days taken. Employees that experience chronic, irreversible health effects can lead to an increase of workers compensation claims, chemical injury lawsuits, lucrative court settlements for the lawsuits, and fines from regulatory agencies for overusing the solvent.
- Will the EPA add nPB to its list of banned and regulated chemicals?
Considering the deleterious effects nPB can have on the health outcome of workers, there’s a good chance that that nPB will eventually be added to the EPA’s list of hazardous air pollutants (HAPs). However, the EPA doesn’t suddenly add chemicals to the list. Rather, a chemical’s inclusion on the list is typically announced months in advance in order to give nPB users enough time to replace nPB with NPB degreasing alternatives that have a safer profile.
- What if nPB makes the EPA’s list, and I still have a large quantity of it?
This situation usually happens to companies and organizations that remain in the dark about the need to replace nPB with safer nPB degreasing alternatives. If for some reason you still have a stock supply of nPB after its use has been curtailed by official, governmental decrees, you may still be able to use the solvent — albeit in limited quantities — until the supply is depleted. For this to happen, the use of nPB must be regulated instead of being banned outright.
- What are examples of nPB degreasing alternatives for replacing nPB?
Thanks to the recent advancement of environmentally safe and environmentally prefered solvents, there’s a wide range of nPB degreasing alternatives that deliver the same efficacy as nPB, but lack toxic chemicals that can have a major, negative impact on the health of workers who apply the solvent. For reference, one of the easiest ways to identify nPB degreasing alternatives is to use Ecolink’s product list that offers several, safer degreasing agents.
Need nPB Degreasing Alternatives?
The future of nPB use is bleak, as there is a good chance that the EPA will eventually add the solvent to is list of HAPs. This means now is the time to start identifying safer industrial degreasers that exhibit same or better efficacy as NPB degreasers. Ecolink can assist you with identifying and supplying eco friendly degreasers, providing stock degreasers or custom blends that are tailored to address your unique set of degreasing requirements.
To place an order, or to receive help choosing the right nPB replacement for your degreasing needs, call us today at (800) 563-1305, or use the contact form on our website. We look forward to helping you choose the right product regarding worker safety and regulatory requirements.
AK225 Flushing Fluid Replacement: Two Options From Ecolink
/in AK225/by Industrial DegreasersAK225 flushing fluid (a.k.a. Asahiklin) enjoyed a long run as a go-to solvent for companies that perform routine degreasing and general cleaning of parts, surfaces, and materials. However, the solution’s ozone depleting properties rightly placed it on the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) list of solvents that are banned or regulated. AK225 was primarily produced in Japan and has been banned from importation or production in the U.S. since the beginning of 2015.
AK225 Replacement Process: Two Options
As it would normally do, the EPA made AK225 flushing fluid users aware of the solvent’s impending ban before the ban was active. Some companies completed the phase out process in 2014, well before the date of the solution’s ban. The question is whether they implemented a seamless replacement for AK225 flushing fluid or have made do with a similar solution whose efficacy at removing soils doesn’t conform to the strength of the AK225 solvent it replaced.
If your company or organization is in this position, we recommend considering the following two options for finding a final, suitable replacement for AK225 flushing fluid: Implement Fluosolv CX solvent, which can be purchased directly from our online store, or have our team of experienced chemists create a custom solvent that perfectly conforms to your cleaning processes. Let’s take a look at each option.
FluoSolv CX Solvent
Fluosolv CX has the same efficacy as AK225 and possesses several additional advantages, as well, including: an acceptable exposure limit that is nearly double the limit for AK225, no required equipment modifications (e.g. changes to parts washing systems) are necessary for using FluoSolv CX as an AK225 replacement, and FluoSolv CX dries faster than AK225, making the latter a better option for vapor degreasing and aerosol cold cleaning applications.
Moreover, FluoSolv CX is widely viewed as the number one replacement solvent for AK225.
Customized Solvent
Most users should be able to implement FluoSolv CX as a drop-in solution for any ineffective AK225 replacement solution they currently use. However, there are inevitably outfits that need the formulation of FluoSolv CX tweaked to meet unique chemical cleaning requirements. In this situation, we recommend letting our team of chemists create the needed solution.
Once your custom solution is complete, we’ll even send you a free test sample, so you can be certain that the solution works as expected. From there, we can supply your custom solvent on a scheduled basis, or as the need for the cleaner arises. Choose the supply scenario best meets your requirements.
Contact Us Today
As new, green, industrial cleaning solutions continue to become available, industrial cleaning solvents that damage the ozone and pose other critical problems should eventually be eliminated. In the meantime, Ecolink is here to provide environmentally preferred stock solvents and custom solvents that deliver the same cleaning power of the solvents they replace.
To get started on implementing the best replacement for AK225 flushing fluid or one of its replacements simply that isn’t the best, please call us today at (800) 563-1305, or use the contact form on our website. We look forward to providing you with a safer, powerful solvent.
nPB Degreasing Alternatives 101: Frequently Asked Questions
/in N-Propyl Bromide/by Industrial DegreasersAlso known as 1-Bromopropane and n-propyl bromide, nPB is a powerful chemical compound that excels at removing heavy accumulations of grease from various materials with noted efficacy. However, in recent years, the safety of the solvent has come under fire from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and sister organizations due to the solvent’s toxic formulation that demonstrates carcinogenicity in experiments involving lab mice.
The information from mice studies has been extrapolated to propose that nPB is also a carcinogenic solvent to humans. If you’re considering implementing nPB as a general degreasing solvent, and you have some basic questions about the compound, the answers below can provide the information you need to guide you to nBP degreasing alternatives.
Currently, nPB is still used because the EPA hasn’t officially added the solvent to its list of banned chemicals. However, many regulatory agencies at the state and federal levels have instituted regulatory measures that pertain to how the solvent can be used. This essentially means that nPB users must use the solvent in a limited capacity in order to reduce health threats to workers, who use the solvent in a high volume on consistent basis.
The health problems nPB causes workers range from relatively minor to profoundly severe. Minor health ailments that nPB causes include: dizziness, upset stomach, and respiratory distress. Severe health problems that NPB causes include: the potential to cause cancer, permanent damage to the central nervous system (CNS), and blurred vision that makes it dangerous for workers to use nPB and other business-critical cleaning solvents.
Aside of regulatory requirements, the primary impact of using nPB degreasers pertains to how it affects workers. Employees consistently deploy nBP can lead to lack of productivity on the workfloor due to the minor effects of nPB exposure, which can in turn lead to an increased number sick days taken. Employees that experience chronic, irreversible health effects can lead to an increase of workers compensation claims, chemical injury lawsuits, lucrative court settlements for the lawsuits, and fines from regulatory agencies for overusing the solvent.
Considering the deleterious effects nPB can have on the health outcome of workers, there’s a good chance that that nPB will eventually be added to the EPA’s list of hazardous air pollutants (HAPs). However, the EPA doesn’t suddenly add chemicals to the list. Rather, a chemical’s inclusion on the list is typically announced months in advance in order to give nPB users enough time to replace nPB with NPB degreasing alternatives that have a safer profile.
This situation usually happens to companies and organizations that remain in the dark about the need to replace nPB with safer nPB degreasing alternatives. If for some reason you still have a stock supply of nPB after its use has been curtailed by official, governmental decrees, you may still be able to use the solvent — albeit in limited quantities — until the supply is depleted. For this to happen, the use of nPB must be regulated instead of being banned outright.
Thanks to the recent advancement of environmentally safe and environmentally prefered solvents, there’s a wide range of nPB degreasing alternatives that deliver the same efficacy as nPB, but lack toxic chemicals that can have a major, negative impact on the health of workers who apply the solvent. For reference, one of the easiest ways to identify nPB degreasing alternatives is to use Ecolink’s product list that offers several, safer degreasing agents.
Need nPB Degreasing Alternatives?
The future of nPB use is bleak, as there is a good chance that the EPA will eventually add the solvent to is list of HAPs. This means now is the time to start identifying safer industrial degreasers that exhibit same or better efficacy as NPB degreasers. Ecolink can assist you with identifying and supplying eco friendly degreasers, providing stock degreasers or custom blends that are tailored to address your unique set of degreasing requirements.
To place an order, or to receive help choosing the right nPB replacement for your degreasing needs, call us today at (800) 563-1305, or use the contact form on our website. We look forward to helping you choose the right product regarding worker safety and regulatory requirements.
4 Steps to Choosing Safe Degreasing Agents
/in Degreasing Agents/by Industrial DegreasersThe safety profile of a degreaser can be interpreted in several ways. In this entry, we take a look at four of the most important ways to assess whether a degreaser is “safe” for your degreasing operations, and where the operations take place: how the solvent is applied, its flashpoint, the density of hazardous air pollutants (HAPs) in the solvent, and solvent-associated safety measures that are already in place in the environment where degreasing solvents are applied.
The first step in choosing safe degreasing agents is identifying degreasers that are formulated to be used for your specific degreasing applications. For example, if you need to degrease energized electrical equipment, such as motors or switchgear, you should use a degreaser that has a strong, dielectric formulation that minimizes the risk of electrical shock. All degreasers are made for degreasing, but not all of them are formulated for the same degreasing applications.
Choosing degreasers that have high flashpoints or are inflammable is always a good idea. Even if your degreasing applications don’t involve obvious heat sources that could cause low flashpoint solvents to combust, there is still the issue of fire safety in the solvent storage area. Degreasing agents that have no flashpoint don’t contribute to damage that building fires cause, and they can usually be stored safely alongside combustible materials in the solvent storage area.
HAPs are considered “hazardous air pollutants” due to their negative impact on the environment and/or human health. HAPs can be volatile organic compounds (VOCs) or synthetic chemicals; what practically all of them have in common, however, is the creation of short-term and long-term health consequences in workers who regularly apply solvents that contain HAPs. Degreasers that have an exceptionally low level of HAPs or no HAPs can be found in our online store.
If implementing a degreaser that contains no HAPs currently isn’t an option, the degreaser you use may still be relatively safe for workers to apply if the work environment has measures in place to protect against human exposure to HAPs. These measures include: special exhaust hoods at work stations where degreasers are applied, air filtration systems designed to remove airborne contaminants, and high-level personal protective equipment (PPE) for workers who apply the degreaser.
Need Safe Degreasing Agents?
Regardless of why you need to implement safe degreasing agents, Ecolink can provide the solutions you need in the form of readymade solvents or custom solvents that are formulated for your unique degreasing requirements. We offer degreasers that are designed a variety of applications, have a high flashpoint or no flashpoint, and contain no HAPs. We even offer free solvent samples, so you can see the benefits of a degreaser in action before you buy.
For assistance with choosing safer degreasers that offer as much degreasing power as your current solutions, please call us today at (800) 563-1305, or use the contact form on our website. We look forward to supporting your cleaning operations with safe degreasing agents.
Solvent Replacement: What is a Safe Parts Washer Solvent?
/in Parts Washer/by Industrial DegreasersWhen we think of a “safe” parts washer solvent, we often conceive of the solvent regarding its safety for human use, particularly use by workers who apply the solvent in industrial settings. However, while human safety should be a primary concern when choosing a parts washing solvent, there are three others areas of concern that quantify safety in additional ways; namely, the impact of the solvent concerning business productivity, the environment, and the law.
The impact of a parts washer solvent on workers’ health is inextricably tied to business productivity in an industrial environment where manpower is crucial for work processes. Many solvents that emit hazardous air pollutants (HAPs) are scientifically proven to cause negative short-term and long-term health effects, which take employees off of the work floor — if only temporarily — and complicate maintaining business productivity, much less increasing it.
High-level personal protective equipment (PPE) and special air filtration systems can help mitigate the risk. But purchasing and maintaining these resources can be quite costly in itself. Implementing a safe parts washer solvent that requires low-level PPE — or no PPE, as the case may be — and doesn’t emit hazardous air pollutants (HAPs) that are found on the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) list of banned and regulated chemicals is the preferred solution.
A truly safe parts washer solvent is also one that doesn’t expose companies and organizations to legal liabilities for violating emissions caps for reportable chemicals. Some users find themselves in a catch-22 situation with the washer solvent they use: The solvent works perfectly for the cleaning operation, but it can’t be used insufficient quantities without incurring fines. The solution is bad news for the environment and, by extension, bad for company finances.
Incurring EPA enforced fines for emissions violations is one way that chemically unsafe parts cleaner legally jeopardizes the financial well-being of the end user. A second way that the user is placed in financial jeopardy is through the occurrence of workers compensation claims and chemical injury lawsuits that are brought in the wake of exposure to the offending element.
If chemical injury lawsuits are brought, damage to the user’s public image could cause additional financial fallout by complicating business relationships with customers and partners. Today, green business solutions are in, and solutions that jeopardize human health and the environment are out. Now more than ever, the eco friendliness of a company’s practices impact business.
Need a Safe Parts Washer Solvent?
If you use a parts washer solvent that could cause problems for your outfit in the ways above, the solvent isn’t the safest choice for the health of workers, the state of the environment, or company finances — all of which interconnect. If you use a solvent that poses these risks, Ecolink can provide a stock or custom parts washer solvent that mitigates or eliminates the problems.
To get started on implementing a safe parts washer solvent, please call us today at (800) 563-1305, or contact us here. We look forward to hearing from you!
Replacing an nPB Vapor Degreaser: Commonly Asked Questions
/in N-Propyl Bromide/by Industrial DegreasersnPB — also known as n-propyl bromide and 1-bromopropane — is not the preferred degreasing solution it once was. Fueling the changeover from nPB vapor degreaser to vapor degreasers that have a better safety profile is evidence that nPB exposure can seriously, adversely affect the health of those who use it. If you use an nPB vapor degreaser, and you have questions about replacing the toxic solvent, the answers below can help.
Why is nPB exposure now considered so dangerous?
Like other toxic degreasing solvents, nPB’s toxicity is established by several years of scientific research. Based on the research, the EPA added nPB to “the list of toxic chemicals subject to reporting under section 313 of the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act (EPCRA) of 1986 and section 6607 of the Pollution Prevention Act (PPA) of 1990.”
Does the EPA consider nPB to be a hazardous air pollutant?
As of the date of this blog entry, the EPA has not placed nPB on the official list of hazardous air pollutants (HAPs). However, as quoted above, nPB is a reportable chemical under the EPCRA, with the EPA having determined that “1-bromopropane meets the EPCRA section 313(d)(2)(B) criteria because it can reasonably be anticipated to cause cancer in humans.”
What are specific health problems that nPB causes?
Health issues from nPB exposure are generally categorized in one of two ways: acute or chronic. Common acute health issues are: dizziness, mental confusion, respiratory distress and temporary paresthesia. Common chronic health issues are: neurological damage, cancer (based on animal studies), permanent paresthesia, and difficulty walking (due to paresthesia).
Will a safer solvent offer the same degreasing power?
The answer depends on which solvent you choose as a replacement for nPB. With that said, there’s a nice selection of safer, environmentally preferred vapor degreasers that offer the same efficacy as nPB. In many cases, former nPB users can simply “drop in” these nPB replacements, and quickly carry on with the vapor degreasing progress, as usual.
Will a safe replacement for nPB cost more than nPB?
Because nPB is relatively cheap to produce, there’s a good chance you’ll pay a bit more for a safe replacement. However, when you consider the financial toll nPB can take on an entity (increased sick days taken, workers compensation claims, chemical injury lawsuits, etc.), paying for a safe nPB vapor degreaser replacement can be the most cost effective option long-term.
Where can I find an nPB vapor degreaser replacement?
To inquire about our vapor degreasing solutions, or to place an order, please call us today at (800) 563-1305. You can also shop conveniently online. We look forward to providing you with a safe nPB vapor degreaser replacement.