12 October 2001 HOUSTON, TEXAS USA — Synthetic rubber manufacturing plants in the United States have since 1996 reduced volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions on a production basis by 19 percent, according to the most recent Safety and Emissions Benchmarking Report issued by the Americas Section of The International Institute of Synthetic Rubber Producers (IISRP).
“This means approximately 3.5 million pounds fewer VOC’s were emitted in our production plants in 2000 than in 1996, a period of expansion in our industry,” said James McGraw, IISRP Managing Director & CEO. “The most significant improvement occurred during the 1999-2000 period when SARA Title 313 Emissions dropped 23 percent on a production basis.”
McGraw added that during the same time hazardous air pollutants dropped from 2.39 kgs/per metric tons of production to 1.92, a 20-percent reduction (see graph). He credited the across-the-board reductions to voluntary cuts by the production facilities and to the implementation of Maximum Available Control Technology (MACT).
Other reductions have come from additional workplace controls on 1,3-butadiene. They came about as a result of agreements between the U.S. synthetic rubber industry and labor. The agreements later were incorporated into the OSHA Standard.
The IISRP is an international not-for-profit association with 49 corporate members domiciled in 22 countries producing 90 percent of the world’s supply of synthetic rubber.
