Safety Solvents: An Easy Solution for Eliminating Harsh Chemical Agents
By Timothy Byron
The use of volatile cleaners brings about concerns both in regards to human and environmental safety. Companies require solvents in order to clean parts or equipment during manufacturing, maintenance, or other industry specific processes. Several chemicals will evaporate under regular temperature conditions thus making them potentially more harmful and certainly more difficult to use or store. Formed gas from evaporation enters the air without any visual sign that can make them very dangerous. Health problems have been directly linked to highly volatile solvents in addition to being problematic for the environment. Indoor concentrations pose increased risk to individuals because they are much higher. Air filtration systems and other methods may be taken to reduce this hazard, but the amounts often released in the immediate environment are still troublesome. The Environmental Protection Agency or EPA has created usage regulations to reduce the adverse effects of volatile solvents. Suppliers have taken steps to provide safety solvents that offer reduced danger of fire as well as minimal evaporation, and fall within compliance of EPA regulations to deliver an affordable yet effective industrial solution.
Organic Solvents: What Measures Have Been Taken to Reduce Hazards?
Degreasers can consist of numerous hazardous ingredients that put companies at risk for human injury as well as EPA violations. Newer organic solvents do not contain chlorinated compounds or other high-risk ingredients to provide a safer product for businesses that must apply these cleaning agents quite frequently.
Part cleaning is a constant process in most manufacturing and mechanical servicing industries. New products are being offered to businesses requiring these agents to operate efficiently. Environment oriented organic solvents include minimal to no hazardous materials and are typically hydrocarbon based. Hydrocarbon is an organic compound created from combining two specific elements: carbon and hydrogen. These compounds may be alkaline, alkene, cycloalkane, or alkyne-based in nature. Hydrocarbons may be utilized as a gas, liquid, polymer, or solid ranging from simple to complex combinations. Methane, ethane, butane, propane, and octane are a few of the simplest hydrocarbons.
