Low Volatile Organic Compound (VOC) Chemical Agent Resistant Coating (CARC)

When the Chemical Agent Resistant Coating CARC system was first used on tactical equipment by the Army in the early 1980s, it was in compliance with environmental regulations in effect at that time. However, Federal and local regulations resulting form the Clean Air Act and its amendments have resulted in subsequent restriction on the amount of Volatile Organic Compounds VOC emitted during the application of protective coatings. Current topcoats in the CARC system have VOC limits set at 3.5gal, but local governments are permitted to set lower limits, and many, such as the San Diego Air Quality Management District which has a limit of 2.8gal, have done so. In addition, total emission restrictions imposed on some facilities are such that a limit of 1.8gal must be achieved for the facility to stay in production. Finally, many of the solvents are Hazardous Air Pollutants HAPs either as listed by the Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990 or targeted by the EPA 3350 Industrial Toxics Project. Army regulations which are also followed by the Marine Corps require that all tactical equipment including combat, combat support, essential ground support equipment, tactical wheeled vehicles and aircraft be hardened against performance degradation by chemical warfare agents or decontamination procedures. The Air Force uses Army CARC on all vehicles and equipment procured through the Army and has drafted a Mission Need Statement for Advanced Aircraft Coating Compatibility stating that existing coating systems have a limited ability to protect against chemical agents and must be improved. Thus the CARC requirement is of significant importance to the tri-service coating community and the environmental deficiencies must be addressed to ensure the continued operation of the defense facilities.