SATA’s 37th Annual Fall Meeting
Convenes in Hilton Head
The 37th annual Southern Aerosol Technical Association
(SATA) Fall Conference met in September in Hilton Head,
SC. The meeting offered an array of networking opportunities,
social activities and two days of educational sessions.
Mark Jones, Executive External Strategy & Communications
Fellow, The Dow Chemical Co., presented The Good, the Bad &
28 Spray November 2017
The Uncertain: Public Perception
of the Chemical Enterprise.
Despite the often negative
public perception, more
than 96% of all manufactured
goods are directly touched by the business of chemistry,
which is an $800 billion enterprise. In 2015, chemical companies
invested $93 billion in research and development. The chemistry
business supports nearly 26% of the
gross domestic product and accounts
for 14% ($184 billion) of U.S. exports,
making it the country’s largest exporter.
The U.S. chemical industry provides
over 15% of the world’s chemicals
and provides 810,000 skilled U.S. jobs
with an average annual pay of $94,000,
which is 47% higher than the average
manufacturing paycheck. Benefits of
the chemical industry can be found,
for example, in farming, contact lenses
and crash-durable adhesives in auto
manufacturing.
Further to that point, Dave Pasin,
CTO of TBF Environmental presented
Aerosol Chemophobia, or How to Stop Worrying
and Learn to Love the Spray Bomb.
Some sources of aerosol chemophobia
can be traced back to the depletion of
the ozone layer by CFCs (banned in
North America since 1978) and the fact
that aerosols are flammable. Issues surrounding
volatile organic compounds
(VOCs) are
also key,
although, said Pasin, all consumer products,
not just aerosols, contribute only
2–4% of overall man-made emissions. To
combat aerosol chemophobia, the industry
should choose appropriate, safe and
compliant components and formulate for
effectiveness, then cost.
Fred Callahan, IEP Technologies, presented
Aerosol Filling & Flammable Storage
Rooms. Fire can be classified as combustion,
flash fire, explosion or deflagration
(propagation of a combustion zone at
a velocity that is at the speed of sound
in the unreacted medium). Callahan
illustrated through video the latest
deflagration suppression components
available for aerosol fill rooms.
Cliff Zatz, Crowell & Moring LLP,
presented Toxic Torts: Protecting Your
Product & Your Company. There are
three ways people encounter chemicals:
through consumer, occupational or
environmental sources. Anyone in a
product’s “chain of commerce”—manufacturers,
distributors, retailers—can be sued in tort (a “wrongful
act”). Typical injury claims include physical injury, fear of
cancer or other future injury, increased risk, medical monitoring,
emotional distress and diminished property value. Ultimately, the
winning narrative in court will consist of responsible conduct and
good science, told by persuasive storytellers.
Kyle Butz, Lead Adviser, Spray Analytics presented Droplet Size
Testing: How, Why & What It Means. Droplet
size is important to aerosol products
because, for example, medicine deposited
in lungs contributes to its efficacy, but one
doesn’t want household cleaners to be able
to enter the breathing passages. There are a
few techniques for measuring droplet size,
but laser diffraction is most commonly
used. Formulation and delivery both must
be optimized for best product results. Consider
what is expected from your product
before accepting data blindly and realize
end user expectation is important to end use.
Jose Pons, Sicamu, and Helen Walter-Terrinoni, Chemours,
both of whom work for the Technological & Economic Assessment
Panel of the Montreal Protocol (TEAP), presented Kigali
Amendment Update. It is important to note
that the Kigali Amendment and the
Montreal Protocol are two different bodies
that address two different environmental
problems. The Kigali Amendment aims to
phase-down hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs)
to avoid up to 0.5°C of global temperature
increase by 2100, while the Montreal Protocol
phased out chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs)
in an effort to limit the destruction of the
Ozone Layer.
There are different schedules for different
groups of countries participating in the Kigali Amendment, such
as the majority of developed countries and the majority of developing
countries. A baseline figure is determined Callahan by average HFC
Jones
Pasin
Zatz
Butz
Pons