Can solvent-based cleaning users and air quality regulators find a workable solution? Specifications defined in Europe can be a model for other regions to follow. The South Coast Air Quality Management District (SCAQMD) is responsible for reducing levels of smog in the Los Angeles basin, a challenge bounded by the nature of atmospheric chemistry and fairness in local politics. Its Rule 1122 - Solvent Degreasers, limited the capability of aqueous cleaning operations and chased high-technology industry from California. More than a decade later, those who fostered the rule are quietly asking for comments to modify it. Smog is formed either by a reaction in the troposphere of NO_x emissions from automobiles and power plants with ultraviolet (UV) light, or parallel reactions of NO_x with volatile organic carbon (VOC) chemicals and UV light. Both reaction paths produce ozone, a precursor of smog.
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