Tamiya spray paint banned in Canada

[flyboy2610]

Just saw this:

 

[ColonelKrypton]

'tis true.

 

there is something in the Tamiya spray paints BUT not the bottled acrylic or lacquer paints nor Mr Hobby / Mr Color / Mr Surfacer bottled or spray paints that resulted in Tamiya spray paints being put on the naughty list. 

 

No new legislation but rather something from a number of years ago for which they are now just getting caught up with. 

 

All the local hobby stores have already sold out of the Tamiya spray primers. I have heard stories of customers buying two and three of each at a time even one buying all of what the store had left on the shelf.

 

I was told that distributors are to destroy whatever they have on hand. Filled orders to retailers in transit will continue but once store stocks are gone they are gone.

 

There was a problem with Tamiya paints about 10 years ago and Tamiya sorted that out and they came back. Hopefully Tamiya will sort this out before too long.

 

cheers, Graham 

[baldwin8]

5 hours ago, ColonelKrypton said:

there is something in the Tamiya spray paints BUT not the bottled acrylic or lacquer paints nor Mr Hobby / Mr Color / Mr Surfacer bottled or spray paints that resulted in Tamiya spray paints being put on the naughty list.

 

 

I would be guessing that the propellant is the issue.

Here is a more in-depth review of spray cans.

 

https://easyspraypaint.com/spray-can-info/understanding-the-ingredients-inside-a-spray-paint-can/#Propellants

[ColonelKrypton]

Very unlikely anything to do with the propellants.  Tamiya's safety data sheets ( SDS ) show the use of Dimethyl ether  CAS No. 115-10-6 as the propellant.   Mr Hobby / Mr Color / Mr Surfacer aerosol paints show this as their propellant as well as do the limited selection of other brands of aerosol paints for which I have a SDS.

 

After much digging and reading through many web documents of the Canada Gazette and Environment Canada concerning toxic chemical, I have managed to eliminate most of the chemicals found in the Tamiya aerosol paints except for one.

 

https://www.canada.ca/en/environment-climate-change/services/canadian-environmental-protection-act-registry/substances-list/toxic/schedule-1.html

 

2-Butoxyethanol  CAS no. 111-76-2

 

There is no Canadian manufacture of this chemical and there are limits on how much can be in imported products based on their intended use.

 

https://publications.gc.ca/collections/collection_2023/eccc/En14-510-2023-eng.pdf

 

Also of note, 2-Butoxyethanol  CAS no. 111-76-2 is listed as an ingredient in Tamiya Lacquer Thinner product no. 87077 but not Tamiya Lacquer Thinner Retarder type product no. 87194, Mr Color thinner but not Mr Color Levelling Thinner, and much of the Mr Hobby Aqueous line of products.

 

If 2-Butoxyethanol  CAS no. 111-76-2 is in fact what has put the Tamiya aerosols on the naughty list - which has not yet been definitively acknowledged - those other products containing this chemical may also come under scrutiny before too long. The wheels of bureaucracy often turn slowly but will eventually get to where it is headed.  

 

This is my best guess at the moment and is based on the SDS that I have in hand which may or may not be the most recent or current versions.

 

More poking, digging, and reading to do. Those regulatory documents are not easy reads and my head is spinning so it is time to take a break.

 

cheers, Graham

[Keeff]

I have access to a hazardous substance database and put the product in ..... simple information given is: 

Ethylene Glycol Mono-N-butyl Ether

(alias of 2-Butoxyethanol)

CAS RN: 111-76-2

Key Info

SUBSTANCES - TOXIC (Combustible)
• Highly toxic, may be fatal if inhaled, swallowed or absorbed through skin

 

In basic terms, it's a substance that poses a threat to health which is likely to be through it's presence in the fumes.  It doesn't help that it's also highly flammable. 

 

Keith 😁 

 

 

[Rabbit Leader]

This post should be deleted before it falls into the hands of like minded woke governments in other parts of the world. Whatever the tiny issue is, no doubt is as negligible as any other potentially harmful product out there. If it was that bad, I’m convinced Japan would have been the first country to ban it first. What’s next Canada … Tamiya Extra Thin Cement, Mr, Hobby levelling thinner, Mr Surfacer 1000, plastic kits in general!, C’mom, this is a joke right?? 

 

Cheers… Dave 

[Corsairfoxfouruncle]

My bet is that it is related to the propellent material in the cans. 

[Mike]

1 hour ago, Keeff said:

• Highly toxic, may be fatal if inhaled, swallowed or absorbed through skin

 

In basic terms, it's a substance that poses a threat to health which is likely to be through it's presence in the fumes.

There we go.  Nothing "woke" about it.  Just Canada trying not to get its population dead.

[ColonelKrypton]

It is no joke and it is not so simple as just something Canada is doing.

 

I find frequent references to the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants which dates back 20+ years of which many countries like Canada are signatories. 

 

https://www.pops.int/

 

https://www.pops.int/Countries/StatusofRatifications/PartiesandSignatoires/tabid/4500/Default.aspx

 

Individual states would be responsible for their own implementation and enforcement.

 

 

 

 

 

[CarlG]

Anyone who uses the term woke unironically only deserves to be laughed out of the room.

[KevinK]

4 hours ago, ColonelKrypton said:

and my head is spinning so it is time to take a break

 Ah...so it is toxic then!

[stevehnz]

I'd imagine our own mob will get around to it in time, probably about 5 years time.

Steve.

[Keeff]

So for clarity, the information I gave is very, very basic.  The database gives a whole range of information about its physical properties, hazards, exposure etc and needs careful interpretation. 

 

Information does say that it is used in acrylics and paints, but not why. 

 

Toxicity is based on exposure to larger  amounts than that found in a single can, but nonetheless health effects can be caused from long term exposure. 

 

If Canada has this substance on a 'banned list' or similar that's their perogative, but clearly there is a reason for it. 

 

Keith 😁 

[Mike]

5 hours ago, Keeff said:

Toxicity is based on exposure to larger  amounts than that found in a single can, but nonetheless health effects can be caused from long term exposure. 

Anyone's that's a fan of rattlecans and paints large quantities of models, or large models in enclosed spaces could be heading for trouble longer term.

 

As an aside, I've recently added a HEPA air purifier to my workshop to help keep the chemical aerosols and dust down, and it reports back showing the quality as a percentage.  It's usually 99% or 100%, but occasionally drops down to 70-80% with the door open (which is odd - I guess it's the output from nearby factories, which I've always suspected), but I did a bit of spraying the other day with my spraybooth active, and the door closed.  The air quality dropped to 25% and took a long while to climb back to better numbers.  Quite interesting and more than a bit scary.

[ColonelKrypton]

5 hours ago, Keeff said:

If Canada has this substance on a 'banned list' or similar that's their perogative, but clearly there is a reason for it. 

 

It is not so much a complete ban as it is about controlling and limiting exposure.  Depending on the intended use of a product which contains 2-Butoxyethanol or any other toxic substance for that matter, there are often limits set based on those intended uses.

 

The overview document found in the following link lists product type uses and the specified limits of concentration on a by use basis in %w/w from as high as 22% to as low as 0.1%

 

https://publications.gc.ca/collections/collection_2023/eccc/En14-510-2023-eng.pdf

 

Aerosol paints and coatings for non-industrial use are unfortunately at the very low end of that scale. Tamiya SDS's I have for the Tamiya aerosols indicate a concentration of 2-Butoxyethanol from 1% to 5%.

 

 

cheers, Graham

 

 

 

 

[-Ian-]

4 minutes ago, Mike said:

Anyone's that's a fan of rattlecans and paints large quantities of models, or large models in enclosed spaces could be heading for trouble longer term.

 

As an aside, I've recently added a HEPA air purifier to my workshop to help keep the chemical aerosols and dust down, and it reports back showing the quality as a percentage.  It's usually 99% or 100%, but occasionally drops down to 70-80% with the door open (which is odd - I guess it's the output from nearby factories, which I've always suspected), but I did a bit of spraying the other day with my spraybooth active, and the door closed.  The air quality dropped to 25% and took a long while to climb back to better numbers.  Quite interesting and more than a bit scary.

That's why I would always recommend to anyone who wants to get into airbrushing or rattlecans to invest in a decent mask too, ie one with replaceable filters and which gives a tight seal around your mouth and nose, not just a cheap disposable dust mask. Something I've found which also helps (admittedly just based on perception, I don't own a gadget which measures air quality) is to leave my spraybooth running for a couple of minutes after I finish a spraying session.

[Mike]

With our hobby being like it is, a proper filter that traps particles and vapours is the way to go.  There's not much point in protecting against particulate when the air is full of chemicals that might knock you out.

 

I must admit to being lazy when it comes to wearing my mask, and have previously (wrongly) thought that my booth sucks most of the nasties out of the workshop.  Just goes to show what I know!

[Keeff]

So, having read the document in the link, there's an interesting and worrying statement: 

The concentration limits do not apply to products intended for export only or to products for use:

• in a manufacturing or processing activity;

• in a commercial paint or coating activity;

• as a solvent in a laboratory for analysis;

• in scientific research;

• as a laboratory analytical standard.

 

Surely, if the priduct is considered that bad, the limits should be applied to all uses .... and I'm sure there are greater quantities to be found that that of a spray can!! 

 

Wearing an appropriate filtered face mask and using a spray booth are sensible precautions ...  

 

Keith 😁 

[Graham Boak]

Exceptions are made for users that can reasonably be expected to take sensible precautions in their use, and ones that are monitored for compliance.  Seems sensible to me.  Export is the only one that seems dodgy - yes it's ok to sell it abroad where we don't know how careful the user will be, possibly a country without the same statutory limitations.

[bentwaters81tfw]

3 hours ago, Mike said:

With our hobby being like it is, a proper filter that traps particles and vapours is the way to go.  There's not much point in protecting against particulate when the air is full of chemicals that might knock you out.

 

I must admit to being lazy when it comes to wearing my mask, and have previously (wrongly) thought that my booth sucks most of the nasties out of the workshop.  Just goes to show what I know!

All my rattlecan work is done outside in the open air, so at best I would only pollute the atmosphere for about a tenth of a second. It is fun predicting the wind direction sometimes though. Used rattlecans for over 50 years. Probably the least of my worries. I have noticed Tamiya rattlecans are increasingly hard to source though.

[Mike]

2 hours ago, bentwaters81tfw said:

Used rattlecans for over 50 years

Might have been cheaper to get an airbrush then

[bentwaters81tfw]

2 minutes ago, Mike said:

Might have been cheaper to get an airbrush then

Not much good for spraying cars - real ones that is after bodywork.

[flyboy2610]

Anytime I have to use spray paint I take it outside. Kind of a challenge in the winter, but I manage.

[Jamie @ Sovereign Hobbies]

Canada has been particularly strict on VOCs for quite a long time. How aerosols have survived this long there is a mystery in its own right, but it does make access to certain types of products quite difficult. It's ok if you're content modelling with water dispersible acrylics.

[Casey]

7 hours ago, Jamie @ Sovereign Hobbies said:

Canada has been particularly strict on VOCs for quite a long time. How aerosols have survived this long there is a mystery in its own right, but it does make access to certain types of products quite difficult. It's ok if you're content modelling with water dispersible acrylics.

I find it quite interesting, because airbrushing even water based acrylics can be dangerous to health without proper protection (I have couple of water based acrylic paints that are definitely very dangerous to spray - they have cadmium). But I admit it is easier to filter out particles than VOC's.

 

I wonder how the ban on spray cans will affect the professional or custom made ranges of spray can paints