Document KR6pnn71EJ6qdwBpZ017ErYX6

ana MercuryWhere Are We? By Elias Singer President, Troy Chemical Corporation THE NATIONAL Paint and Coatings mercurials had been revoked. Without a Association has done an excellent job registration mercurials cannot be shipped in trying to prevent the enactment of leg interstate, though they may still be islation and rulings that are harmful to shipped intrastate. We did, however, file the coatings industry. Unfortunately, de an appeal, and such an appeal automati spite their heroic efforts, they have not cally stops such a ruling from taking ef been completely successful. Such regula- fect until a decision is reached by a spe cial committee. The EPA has just recently asked the National Science Foundation to set up such a committee to determine allowable levels of these mercurials for the coatings industry. We feel that until such a committee is formed, investigates the whole matter, and comes to a decision, at least another six months will pass, during which time mercurials can be shipped interstate. Let us now briefly examine the tech nical aspects of each of these regulations. Lead; The industry can continue using during 1973 lead-containing driers or loss- of-dry agents, up to a maximum of 0.5 per cent lead based on the weight of the paint. This means that as much as 10-15 lbs. of 24 per cent lead may be used per 100 gallons of paint--more than is nor mally used. If less than the 0.5 per cent lead is used as a drier, the rest may be added as loss-of-dry agent What's available as substitutes for both of these lead-containing products? A great deal of work has been done to nios Slayer try to find suitable substitutes for lead as a drier. None of the work has been com tions have been made, and if their further pletely successful, especially in oil-based efforts to correct these conditions are not house paints. However, in most formula successful, we may have to live with them. tions we have been fairly successful in We will briefly review these regulations finding replacements for lead as a drier. as they affect driers, mercurials, and loss- The replacement driers have generally of-dry agents, and they are as follows: been calcium, and/or zirconium, though Lead--As of January 1, 1973, no trade occasionally ortho phenanthroline has been sales paints, except maintenance paints, suggested. Our own work indicates that may contain more than 0.5 per cent lead in most formulations straight calcium drier as metal based on the total weight of the is adequate and is lowest in cost. Thus, paint. As of January 1, 1974, this is re for every pound of 24 per cent lead, the duced to 0.06 per cent. This, practically substitution of two pounds of six per cent speaking, eliminates all lead from trade calcium will normally suffice. A more sales paints. universal, though somewhat more expen Mercury--During April of 1972, all sive, recommendation is for the use of IK mercurial manufacturers who supply the lbs. of six per cent calcium and K lb. of I coatings industry were notified by the 12 per cent zirconium for every pound of EPA that their registration on phenyl 24 per cent lead. All the other driers in GLD012388 prenmsnea wooa coatings wm mean little growth ih furniture and fixtures coatings. During the 1973 growth, we will also see continued cost pressure on the mate rials suppliers. The fourth quarter of this year is already giving indications of price firmness or increases in organic chemicals, such as methanol, formaldehyde and sty rene. Undoubtedly, this trend will be re flected in price changes in specialty chem icals and resins, which are based on the general chemicals. Forecasting the future direction of the coatings industry is not a dangerous game, but neither is it a wholly precise one. Some interesting turns, for example, are being made in the industry at the moment, which may indicate some long range trends. This certainly seems to be the case for formulation, which has become a necessary move due to growing govern ment regulations. In the past, raw material and equip ment suppliers were a major factor in de veloping formulations. Now, however, the major paint companies are becoming the major factor. They are developing not only paint, but entire coating systems. This has .come'abont-In a number of ways. For one thing, responsibility for the coatings is being shifted. Where this responsibility has in the past been shared by the paint company and the end user, who specified the system, it is now being placed squarely on the paint company. Consequently, as this trend continues the coatings supplier must more and more supply the complete design package--from the coating to the application equipment, from detailed application instructions to actual start-up responsibility. This full line of responsibility is especially seen in electrocoating and radiation cure systems. What of the role of the materials sup plier in such a business? With rising costs and level prices, the raw material supplier cannot continue to generate broad re search and development programs--espe cially when he is often duplicating work already being done by the paint companies. A similar type of shift occurred in the plastics industry in the 1950s. Major plas tics end-users began integrating back toward the raw materials, while soft price structures kept materials suppliers' profits low. Materials selling prices continued to approach manufacturing costs. As the profit margin shrank, the plastics pro ducers were forced to decrease technical service to their customers and research for new polymer development. In its place they began to look for other routes than basic synthesis work to build product value through their technical efforts. It seems likely that the trend in our in-