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PRODUCTS FINISHING — pfonline.com 25 TGIC-Free For Your operaTIon similar to TGIC powder coatings, but until the late '90s, it remained more of a technical curiosity than a regularly specified product. Yesterday, Today TGIC was classified as a Category 2 mutagen by all European Economic Union member states in 1998, resulting in restricted sales of TGIC-based products in Europe. Australia has also acted to regulate and restrict the use of TGIC powder coatings. While not an outright ban on TGIC, various EEU-member state regulations require finishers who use TGIC powder coatings to store them separately from other finishes, isolate workers who work with them and estab- lish separate finishing lines. It is largely the extra handling required and the associated costs of establishing those prac- tices that has led the majority of European finishers to opt for TGIC-free powder coatings. As both products are priced similarly, purchase price is not an issue, and it is regulation that largely dictates where each technology is used today. In the United States, TGIC powder coatings remain popular, but TGIC-free coatings have developed loyal followers as well. Several years ago, TGIC was placed on the state of California's Proposition 65 watch list, but no regulations regarding its use exist in California or any other state at this time. TGIC coatings are also popular in Eastern Europe and the Middle East, where no regulations against the chemical exist, although the TGIC product is less popular in countries that are considering membership in the EEU. TGIC-free coatings have been widely used in China since 2005 as Chinese producers of HAA compete against each other for market share within the country. Considering Alternatives TGIC-free coating options are avail- able and are being used by manu- facturers worldwide to achieve the same durable finish benefits as TGIC powder coatings. In fact, there are several advantages to the newer technology. It offers A producer of structural steel components moved to TGIC-free powder coatings after an OSHA inspection of the company's existing powder coatings line required line employees to be fitted with expensive protective air supplied suits. TGIC was classified a Category 2 mutagen by all European Economic Union member states in 1998, resulting in restricted sales of TGIC-based products in Europe. 0614_PF_SherwinFEATURE.indd 25 5/16/2014 1:38:16 PM