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paint and coatings manufacturing: BIOCIDES

Preservation

RESERVATIONS

TO SOME, BIOCIDES, algaecides and preservatives could be efforts and will ensure consumers can continue to use
called the silent heroes of the paint business. They keep paint products with the level of performance they have
away mildew and microorganisms, while also reducing come to expect from strong, recognizable brands sold by
odors and unsightliness. CPCA members across Canada,” says Gary LeRoux, CPCA’s
The problem is, anything that can inhibit or eliminate President and CEO. “It confirms the Canadian paint indus-
those life forms can also be potentially harmful. And in try’s commitment to the safety of its products and extended
the world of substance regulation, sometimes matters of product stewardship in a circular economy.”
dosage and exposure can be poorly assessed and heroes CPCA had argued that further data be reviewed before
become villains. the ban was issued and says it is pleased with the reversal.
There has been a lot of movement on this issue recently, “As a result of this recent announcement, OIT will be
however. available to CPCA members and the entire paint manufac-
In late October, the federal government’s Pest Manage- turing industry in Canada in the coming years,” LeRoux
ment Regulatory Agency (PMRA) reinstated the use of says. “It will be aligned with the current status of OIT in
octhilinone (OIT), a material preservative for paint and the United States, Canada’s largest trading partner. Greater
coatings and related products in Canada. It works by pro- alignment with the US EPA in two highly integrated
tecting the paint film, ensuring it will not flake in a few economies is critical, and only heightened by the fact that
weeks or months. The ban was first announced in 2017 there are increasingly fewer biocides available for in-can
and came into effect on May 31, 2019. and dry-film preservation for paint and coatings and allied
The Canadian Paint and Coatings Association (CPCA) products in Canada.”
says the decision to reverse the ban will ensure that paint PMRA has still restricted the use of several other biocidal
products and stains will have access to a biocide preserva- preservatives used in paint, including the widely used
tive commonly used by industry for many years, which is CMIT/MIT. However, industry has repeatedly underscored
still used in other countries. It is a critical ingredient used that biocides are integral to the cost-effective performance
for the preservation of paint and stains and integral to the of paint products while posing little to no risk when handled
transition from solvent to water-based coatings over the as directed. In addition, if water-based paints cannot be
past several years. Therefore, it supports industry’s ongoing preserved, they are of little use to consumers and commer-
efforts to produce paint products with much lower volatile cial operators who require them to extend the lifecycle of
organic compound (VOC) emissions during paint applica- their assets.
tion and drying, CPCA says. The American Coatings Association (ACA) had joined
“This decision will support industry’s ongoing innovation CPCA in comments submitted to the U.S.-Canada Regulatory

46 CAnADIAn FInISHInG & COATInGS MAnuFACTuRInG nOvEMbER/DECEMbER 2020