Principal Investigator: Katy Wolf
Institute for Research and Technical Assistance
March 2001

ARB Contract No. 98-334 (Full Report)

ABSTRACT

This document describes the results of a project to investigate methods of reducing emissions of and the risk posed by methylene chloride (METH) emitted from furniture stripping facilities. METH is used in the stripping formulations used by these shops. Two methods of reducing the Maximum Individual Cancer Risk (MICR) at the nearest offsite receptor were investigated and analyzed. First, a baseline stripping formulation used by most stripping shops in California and eight alternative strippers with no or low-METH content were tested. Two of the low-METH content strippers performed well and their use could reduce the METH emissions from stripping shops by 29%. These alternative strippers may pose other risks that were not addressed in the report. Second, higher airflow ventilation systems were tested to determine whether they could capture the METH emitted from the stripping process. One of the higher air flow ventilation systems, a 1,500 cfm system, achieved a 60 to 70% capture efficiency. The other system, a 3,000 cfm system, achieved 90% capture efficiency. It is estimated that these systems would reduce the exposure to METH at the nearest offsite receptor by 13 to 17%. The MICR reduction at the nearest offsite receptor that could be achieved by combining a high air flow ventilation system and a low-METH content stripper is estimated at 40%.

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