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SPRAYTechnology & Marketing Commentary Ava Caridad, Editorial Director 6 Spray February 2014 Cynthia Hundley Publisher chundley@spraytm.com Ava Caridad Editorial Director acaridad@spraytm.com Montfort A. Johnsen Technical Editor montyjohnsen@att.net Susan Carver Vice President, Administration scarver@spraytm.com Doug Bacile National Sales Manager dbacile@spraytm.com Donald Farrell Production production@spraytm.com Joy Cunningham Reader Service Coordinator readerservice@spraytm.com Circulation circulation@spraytm.com Member: CAPCO Volume 24, No 2 February 2014 Copyright 2014 by Industry Publications, Inc. All rights reserved. No part may be reprinted without written permission from the Publisher. Spray Technology & Marketing (ISSN No.1055-2340) is published monthly by Industry Publications, Inc. Correspondence for editorial, advertising and circulation to: 3621 Hill Road, Parsippany, NJ 07054 Phone: 973-331-9545 • Fax: 973-331-9547 Subscription inquiries: circulation@spraytm.com Internet: www.spraytm.com Periodical postage paid at Parsippany, NJ and at additional mailing office. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Spray Technology & Marketing, 3621 Hill Road, Parsippany, NJ 07054. Subscription rates: U.S. 1-year $50.00; Canada & Mexico 1-year $60.00. Airmail Rates to foreign countries: $130.00/yr. Single copies of current issues: $12.00. Directory Issue (Buyers Guide) $27.00 (includes shipping). Missing issues: Claims for missing issues must be made within three months of the date of the issue. Printed in the U.S.A. Industry Publications, Inc. also publishes Indoor Comfort Marketing The opinions expressed in this publication are not intended to be, nor should they be interpreted as, a replacement for professional, legal advice. The Weight (and Measures) is over In January of this year, the National Institute of Standards & Technology hosted a meeting in Gaithersburg, MD to discuss whether products utilizing bag-on-valve (BOV) technology should declare quantity on cans by weight or volume, as finally determined by the National Conference of Weights & Measures (see Regulatory Issues, P. 8). The upshot of the meeting? BOVs shall declare their volume in weight, the same as “traditional” aerosols (although BOV containers labeled as volume will probably have a sell-through period of three years). This is good news, for the simple reason that it encourages harmonization of products. Let’s face it, your average consumer doesn’t particularly notice, care about or understand those numbers at the bottom front of an aerosol; they are more concerned with scent, efficacy and price tag. The real crux of the issue was not necessarily weight or volume, but the attempt by BOV manufacturers to try to make a distinction between BOVs and traditional aerosols for a variety of reasons. In the end, it was determined that all aerosols, regardless of whether or not they contain a propellant, declare quantity by weight. Ounces vs. Grams Now that that has been settled, don’t get me started on ounces vs. grams! True global harmonization will get a huge boost when (and if) the U.S. finally converts to the metric system, like I was promised it would in 1974. My grammar school informed us that the United States would be completely metric by 1978—and we’d better get ready! We studied conversion charts and then learned conversion formulas as we got older (and presumably smarter). Nineteen seventy-eight rolled around and I was thoroughly prepared for the glorious metric revolution, but it seems only I and the soft drink companies were paying attention—suddenly one had to buy a half-gallon of milk but two liters of soda (which is slightly more than a half gallon). What the heck? The U.S. remained firmly entrenched in “imperial” units of measurement, and now usually both ways are printed on packaging, not just aerosol cans, and that’s not such a bad thing, really. I must admit I feel slightly superior being “bilingual,” it does help tremendously when traveling outside the U.S., and I can also look down on those who don’t know the imperial ways of reading things properly, either. Once I was riding on a bus next to an Australian backpacker, who was reading a U.S. newspaper. He had it opened to a spread of a global weather map, which showed Sydney’s temperature as 87°. He turned to me with a panicked look and asked “Is this centigrade or Fahrenheit?!” “If it’s centigrade, everyone you know is dead,” I laughed maliciously, figuring in my head that 87°C is approximately 188°F. He also laughed, nervously realizing his gaffe, and no doubt wishing for a seat change. Yes, listing measurements “both ways” is probably best, for now. Editorial Director


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