Competitive Advantages

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The history of paint stripping is relatively short. Methylene Chloride, a toxic chemical, (but highly effective paint remover), has primarily been used over the last 50 years to strip paint off of wood. It has now been assessed by the EPA to be a volatile chemical that is harmful to humans and can cause cancer. Methylene Chloride is produced overseas and imported into the United States, with use estimated at over 260 million pounds per year. The EPA estimates that approximately 25 percent of total Methylene Chloride usage is for paint and coating removal products. As a hazardous material, Methylene Chloride must be disposed of properly by a licensed haler. This chemical and others such as alkaline solutions used in stripping paint off of wood all add to our hazardous waste load in America.

Hazardous Waste Disposal is a huge problem. Our world is full of harmful chemicals that can cause illness, compromise our well being, alter our environment, and must be properly disposed of. Not until the Federal Resource Conservation & Recovery Act, established in 1976 and which created much more stringent disposal practices, was toxic waste management properly regulated. Hazardous Waste sites established prior to this act still pose a significant threat to the environment today. In addition, Hazardous Waste Management problems have increased sharply in the late 20th Century because of increasing solid waste generation, shrinking disposal sites capability and capacity, difficulty with transporting solid waste, and the rising cost of disposing of this waste. We are running out of new safe spaces to designate for toxic chemical disposal.

We can no longer afford to use unnecessary and toxic chemicals for problems that have innovative solutions. The elimination of harmful chemical usage in one industry, the paint stripping industry, is a much needed step in the right direction.