Implementing Safer Alternatives to Lithographic Cleanup Solvents to Protect the Health of Workers and the Environment

The use of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in lithographic printing cleanup is an environmental and occupational hazard. Regulations to reduce ambient ozone levels limited VOC emissions from lithographic cleanup operations and spurred the development of low-VOC alternatives. The purpose of this project was to promote the substitution of hazardous cleanup solvents with less toxic chemicals to protect the health of workers and the environment. A convenience sample of printers, employers, union, industry, and government representatives was constructed. Data regarding the lithographic printing work force and the use of cleanup solvents and alternatives were collected through: (1) work site walk-throughs, (2) a focus group, (3) key informant interviews, (4) a half-day workshop, and (5) demonstration projects. Overall, 66 individuals from 15 different print shops, 10 government agencies, the lithographic printing industry, and one printer's union participated in one or more aspects of the project. Printer inhalation exposure to hazardous cleanup solvents was prevalent and printers were not aware of safer alternatives. Employers should implement low-VOC, low-toxicity cleanup products in a timely manner to protect the health of printers and the environment. Use of low-VOC lithographic cleanup products does not mitigate the potential for printer dermal exposure and may carry safety and ergonomic implications. Lithographic cleanup solvent manufacturers should seek low-VOC ingredients that do not pose a dermal exposure hazard. Linking environmental and occupational health prevented the development of substitutes that would have introduced worker hazards and provided an opportunity to circumvent some of the inadequacies of the current occupational health regulatory apparatus. Governmental organizations should establish and maintain institutional interdisciplinary mechanisms to support these linkages.