Plastic & Paint Effects on the Ozone Depletion

It is perhaps difficult to imagine that products you use every day around the house may be worsening environmental conditions. But some paints, their containers and ingredients do present ozone related concerns. Plastics deliver their own environmental threats, although they are not directly related to depletion per se. Responsible purchasing and awareness of agency activity is the best way to effect positive change and best environmental practices at home and in the workplace.

Paint and CFCs

• The release of chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) is the dominant factor in ozone depletion. CFCs rise into the stratosphere, where they encounter radiation from the sun. When this occurs, the CFCs break apart and the chlorine atoms bind to one of the oxygen atoms in ozone, interfering with ozone formation. Ozone in the stratosphere blocks UV rays, which are linked to skin cancer. These CFCs are in some paint products, particularly those that employ aerosol or similar agents to expel the paint from the can. However, everyday paint solvents do not normally contain CFCs. Some industrial solvents, especially methyl chloroform, do contain them.

Paint Chemicals

• Other environmental risks may be due to the content of some paints. In order to ensure that your paint is not endangering the ozone, look for the presence of several hazardous, potentially ozone-depleting chemicals. These include but are not limited to mercury, lead, cadmium, some forms of tin, phthalates, hexavalent chromium and formaldehyde. Remember that these substances are dangerous not only to the natural environment but to your and your family's health. Among other things, many of these substances have been identified as potential cancer risks.

Plastics

• Plastics are not directly associated with CFCs and therefore are not as readily linked to ozone depletion. However, they have been connected with other ozone-related issues. This is particularly the case with polystyrene. Styrene, a common material used in the production of rubbers and plastics, gives off hydrocarbons in certain conditions. When these hydrocarbons meet nitrogen oxides, they mutually create tropospheric ozone, which rests at ground level. When humans are exposed to this, they may experience a wide range of pulmonary, respiratory and immune-related health problems.

Considerations

• For the latest news, reports and legislation on banned or questionable ozone-depleting substances, you should periodically check the websites of federal and state agencies. The best examples of this are the national and various state departments of environmental protection. Remember that it is not necessarily paints or plastics -- as they exist in isolation -- that create environmental problems; rather it is how the paints and plastics are used in specific industrial settings (and how they are disposed of) that is problematic. In this regard, different enterprises and industries are held to their own regulations and policies regarding the use of paint, plastics and other materials that are potentially harmful to the ozone layer.