The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has asked Printing Industries of America to assist with revising their national annual hazardous air pollutant (HAP) emission factor, which is used to estimate HAP emissions and to determine the need for further regulation of the printing industry. HAP emissions occur from the use of specific chemicals and chemical categories classified as toxic air pollutants, some of which are used in printing.

Recently, Printing Industries assisted EPA with revising the national annual volatile organic compound (VOC) emission factor. Due to this success, EPA has requested that the printing industry provide emission information on HAP emissions, so that the nationwide HAP emission factor can also be updated.

EPA revised their national annual VOC emission factor for the printing industry from 1,482 pounds/employee to 201 pounds/employee. This revision was in part due to a survey of printers in the Salt Lake City area, which received a high response rate.

In order to respond to EPA’s request, the Environmental, Health, and Safety Department is conducting a similar survey asking printing companies to share their VOC and HAP emission information by completing this spreadsheet and submitting it by June 30, 2012.

For more information or to submit a spreadsheet, please contact Caitlin Seiler at cseiler@printing.org or 1-800-910-4283 x779.

To learn more, please click here.