The . EPA has targeted wood furniture manufacturers because they are the largest industrial users of solvents in paints and coatings among original equipment manufacturers in the United States, using over twice as much solvents as automobile manufacturers. 1 Wood is coated to protect it from physical and chemical damage, and natural degradation, as well as to impart an aesthetically pleasing finish. The coating materials traditionally used by the furniture industry contain a substantial quantity of solvents that volatilize to the air within the plant and/or are directly vented to the outside, usually without treatment. This Manual presents federal and state regulations established to reduce.
