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The Government today (December 30) announced that the Air Pollution Control (Volatile Organic Compounds) (Amendment) Regulation, which extends the existing control on VOC-containing products to vehicle refinishing paints, vessel paints, pleasure craft paints, adhesives and sealants, will come into operation on Friday (January 1).
The new legislation will prohibit in phases the import and local manufacture of the newly regulated products with VOC contents exceeding the prescribed limits. From January 1, vessel paints, adhesives and sealants will need to meet the prescribed VOC content limits while pleasure craft paints and vehicle refinishing paints will be brought under control from January 1, 2011 and October 1, 2011, respectively. More types of vessel paints and pleasure craft paints will need to meet the requirements by April 1, 2012.
VOCs play a significant role in the formation of ozone and respirable suspended particulates, which are major pollutants causing the smog problem in the Pearl River Delta Region. The SAR Government and the Guangdong Provincial Government have a consensus to reduce the emissions of VOCs by 55% by 2010, on the basis of the emissions in 1997.
"The amended regulation will further reduce the emissions of VOCs by expanding the control regime to cover more VOC-containing products, and we expect that a further 700 tonnes of local VOC emission will be reduced when the extended control is fully implemented, which is essential in helping us to achieve the reduction target," a spokesman for the Environmental Protection Department (EPD) said.
More information about the new control under the Air Pollution Control (Volatile Organic Compounds) Regulation can be found at EPD's website: http://www.epd.gov.hk.
Ends/Wednesday, December 30, 2009
Issued at HKT 14:32
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