VOC activity in the United States

Nicholas Georges, senior vice president, scientific & international affairs of the Household & Commercial Products Association (HCPA), gives an update on incoming regulations in the US.
For more than 30 years, the California Air Resources Board (CARB) has regulated the volatile organic compound (VOC) content of consumer and commercial products as part of an overall strategy to improve air quality in the state and attain compliance with the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) for ozone. States such as California, that have areas of non-attainment according to the NAAQS must submit a State Implementation Plan (SIP) to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) that describes control measures and emission reduction strategies. California recently published its Proposed 2022 State Strategy for the SIP, noting that CARB’s regulation of VOCs in consumer and commercial products has led to a more than 50% reduction in emissions.
On 1 August, California’s Office of Administrative Law (OAL) approved CARB’s 2021 amendments, which will...