While air pollution regulations have remained fairly static, equipment upgrades continue to minimize compliance woes.

By Kate Tomlinson and Assistant Editor

One potential area of concern for packagers is using hazardous air pollutants (HAPs), says Steven Rach, senior account executive at MEGTEC Systems. He explains regulations, referred to as Maximum Achievable Control Technology (MACT), were issued and in 1996, the EPA promulgated a Printing MACT, which requires a minimum of 95 percent overall control of both the capture of HAPs from the process and their destruction. According to Rach, the EPA is currently working on a very similar MACT for paper and other web coatings (POWC). “The primary difference between the two rules is the POWC MACT requires over 98 percent overall control only for new lines. Therefore, if a packaging company did not opt their coaters into the Printing MACT, they may be facing a higher level of HAP reduction for the new line [per the POWC MACT].”