Document 3ep0pbZd3ROGwZKzjZj7R7yGx

pm T / iDITORIAL The 0.06% Lead Limit: It's Set npHE GUILLOTINE that has been hanging over the coatings *** industry--the imposition of a limit of 0,0G per cent lead content for interior paints--has been set for the beginning of 1974. Now, the question comes up: How can we escape without losing our heads? Before we worry about losing our heads, it's necessary first to keep our heads. Getting excited and lambasting politicians for opportunism, regardless of the accuracy of the charge, wont show anyone how to reformulate away from lead driers, which is the crux of the problem, because the earlier 1 per cent lead restriction had already assured the banning of lead-containing colorants, such as chrome yellows and greens. Fortunately, the Food and Drug Administration has acted in character, at least in this regard, and is permitting more than 18 months for the industry to cut back lead content to 0.06 per cent. That means we still may have time to do what shoutd have been done months ago, when it became apparent that limits would bo cut drastically--when the American Academy of Pe diatrics came out for 0.06 per cent: We still are able to bring together a panel of eminent paint chemists and practical formulators to discuss possible measures for development of mate rials thnt can end the problem of loss-of-dry of paints that are to be deprived of lend driers, tire material that prevented these problems (see article on page 9) We also have time to select analytic equipment to test each paint patch to make certain tiiat load contaminants from raw materials or the atmosphere nre insufficient to cause n breach of the rules. GLD01241Q 5 W.TOMC MAR 211972 o It is Generally agreed that many, and perhaps most, paints 1 can be reformulated away from lead driers. However, enough ' products may suffer from loss-of-dry to make it necessary for j an all-out, industry-wide, full-fledged cooperative effort to come ! up with answers. j The industry closed ranks once before and financed a coop- ; erntive research project to meet the problem of Rule 65 j solvents. It can forget competitive pressures and do it again to ! meet tlie challenge of lead removal. j Fortunately, at least one family of products has been found . suitable for lead-drier replacement without loss-of-dry prob- ' lems. Tiiey are materials described as Schiff-bases, characteiired ; ns complexing agents with double-bound nitrogen. One memter of the family is available as a proprietary product that some- - times causes slight discoloration of white paints, As luck would have it, other members of the family were ! exhaustively explored for drier use by Dr. Raymond Meyer* of Kent State University, one of the truly eminent scientists working in the coatings field. They were put on the shelf in tire mid-fifties because then they appeared interesting but not ne cessary. They're necessary now. Development work is needed now--not next week. The Federation of Societies for Paint Technology, the tech nical arm of the industry, should take tire lead in calling to gether its most imaginative chemists, while the National Paint and Coatings Association, which led in garnering support for the Rule 66 solvents study, should get together the money men to provide funds for research nnd development effort. Eighteen months is a short time. Getting the ball rolling to morrow toward the target of research and research funds will be another day too late.--A.B. Dean and Barry Paint Sets Sales Record Cleveland, March 14--K, S. McKay II. president, Dean and Harry Co., re ported that paint sales in 1971 estab lished an 80-year record. Sales increased five per cent at both the manufacturing and retail store levels. The company has re-elected Mr. Mc Kay president and treasurer. Jack C. Evans vice president, and George II. Chainblln secretary and general coun sel. Wayne J. Graf, Oscar E. Carlin and M. C. Slack were re-elected directors. Babcock & Wilcox Report j New York. March 10 -- The Babcock j & Wilcox Company has reported that '( 1971 earnings more than doubled those i of 1970 and continue to show a strong j trend of recovery. Net Income totalled j $20,664,000, or $1.07 per share, com pared with $10,021,000, or 81 cents per share hi 1970. Shipments In 1971 were $959,092,000 compared with $820,424,000 In 1970. New orders totalled $867,938,000 In * 1971 and the backlog was $1,948,507,000 ; compared with $2,039,661,000 at the end of 1970. ''1 50 ik* GLD012419 American Paint Journal , .J