COUNTYWIDE : Auto-Painting Rule Gets Preliminary OK

A regulation that would protect neighborhoods from cancer-causing emissions produced by auto-painting shops received preliminary approval this week from county officials and industry representatives.

The regulation requires that auto-body shops paint motor vehicles and mobile equipment inside booths to trap emissions of lead and chromium.

The booths, already used by most large shops, are equipped with emission-absorbing filters that are treated as hazardous waste, said Keith Duval, manager of the rule development section of the Ventura County Air Pollution Control District.

“Instead of letting this cloud of vapors of chrome and lead float out over a neighborhood, we’re now going to reduce these toxic emissions,” he said.

The proposed regulation, approved by an advisory committee Tuesday and expected to come to the County Board of Supervisors in January, would allow limited exemptions for cars or equipment that cannot be moved to a booth.

It also would require shops to obtain permits from the air pollution district to purchase auto paint.

Most commercial shops already have permits, according to industry representatives said. But the permit requirement will stop amateur and back-yard or garage painters, said Veronica French, who is a member of the statewide California Autobody Assn.

“About 35% of emissions from our industry are from unpermitted sources,” French said.

“With this rule, they did a good job of developing a regulation that cleans up the air and lets us stay in business at the same time.”