The Road To Clean aiR - LA Differentiated

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Results
Barring air toxics
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The advocacy efforts of the Coalition for Clean
Air (CCA) led the the South Coast Air Quality
Management District (SCAQMD) to ban the use
of dimethyl carbonate (DMC)—a known volatile
organic compound (VOC) and developmental
toxin—in a wide variety of industrial, janitorial and
consumer cleaning products. Despite serious health
concerns and a lack of health impact research,
DMC was being promoted as an alternative to
similar chemicals currently regulated.
CCA mobilized the environmental community and
urged the SCAQMD to delay the allowed use of
DMC until the Office of Environmental Health
Hazard Assessment performs a more thorough
evaluation of all the toxicity data available.
Cutting smog
The SCAQMD also voted to limit the amounts of
VOCs in consumer and industrial products. This
rule was a success for air quality and public health
in Southern California, as it promises to reduce
dangerous emissions.
The California Air Resources Board followed suit by
capping VOC emissions and reducing the use of three
dangerous chemicals—perchloroethylene, methylene
chloride and trichloroethylene—in multipurpose
solvents and paint thinners.
“Precedent-setting regulations such as these will
supply consumers with the safer products they
demand,” said Luis Cabrales, CCA’s deputy
director of campaigns. “Our long-term goal is to
see other states adopt similar VOC guidelines
on consumer products to protect workers and
consumers nationwide.”
Currently, multipurpose solvents and paint
thinners evaporate and emit up to 98% percent
of their dangerous content into the air. By 2013,
these emissions will be capped at 3%. This
regulation will result in one of the state’s largest
reductions of VOCs from consumer products
when fully implemented in 2014.
Deputy Director of Campaigns Luis
Cabrales, who spearheads CCA’s work on
toxics, is interviewed by Spanish language
television network Azteca América
“ When I
first started
working [as a
car washer],
I began to
notice personal
health impacts:
the spilled
degreasing
soap ate a hole
through my shirt and burned my
torso; the fumes from inhaling the
air fresheners make it hard for me
to breathe; and I continuously have
itchy eyes and rashes on my hands
from the products I use daily.
Thanks to organizations such
as CCA...the SCAQMD has
committed to reducing almost
10 tons of airborne chemicals
per day, protecting the health of
millions of consumers. ”
— Eduardo Gonzalez,
member, Carwash Workers
Organizing Committee of
the United Steelwokers
Coalition for Clean Air
2009 Annual Report