The EPAs NESHAP Rule 6X went into effect in July 2011. Did you miss the announcement of this rule? If so, according to The Fabricator.com reports you are not alone.
The rule applies to companies that are primarily engaged (that is 50 percent or more of their total labor) in one or more of the following categories: electrical and electronic equipment finishing, fabricated metal products, fabricated plate work (boiler shops), fabricated structural metal manufacturing, heating equipment (except electric), industrial machinery and equipment finishing, iron and steel forging, primary metal products manufacturing, and valve and pipe fittings. That describes quite a lot of our customers!
Operations that are impacted by this new rule include: dry abrasive blasting (3 types), dry grinding, dry polishing with machines, dry machining, spray painting (2 types), and welding.
Excluded from this new rule are: military installations; NASA facilities; national nuclear security facilities; military munitions facilities; some research or laboratories (defined by the Clean Air Act); tool, quality control, and equipment repair facilities; and welding facilities that use less than 2,000 lbs of rod or wire that does not contain any identified HAPs.
Why did the EPA establish this new rule? To prevent cancer, birth defects, and other health effects caused by exposure to Hazardous Air Pollutants as defined by the EPA in 2008. Just some of these materials are those that contain 0.1 percent by weight of cadmium, chromium, lead or nickel; or 1.0 percent by weight of manganese.
What should you do if you fall into the categories above?
- Notify the EPA
- Change your processes to eliminate the HAP (dust and fume collectors with high-efficiency cartridge filtration is considered acceptable)
- Conduct a Method 22 emissions test (See EPA.gov website for how to do this)
- Retest to confirm
If you want more information on this important subject, here’s a FAQ that can answer a lot of your questions: http://www.epa.gov/ttn/atw/6x/metal_fabrication_q_a_nov-2011-rev3.pdf
ACS Industrial Services provides industrial electronic repair services for virtually all types of commercial and industrial electronics. Need servo motor repair? Drive repair? Circuit board repair? CNC repairs? Call our customer service team at 800-605-6419 for assistance or head straight to our website at www.acsindustrial.com to request a free evaluation and quote for repairs.