A new
coating system being made available for the Army's use to paint aircraft
and other equipment performs better than the standard system -- and it is
safer to human health and the environment. This breakthrough comes after
two years of research and testing conducted by the Connecticut Army
National Guard at its 1109th Aviation Classification Repair Activity Depot
(AVCRAD) on trivalent chromium-based primers and sealers.
Chromium has long been used in paint to create dense, protective
coatings. This is especially important to the Army which needs to cover its
equipment with paint that can resist corrosive chemical agent. However,
chromium, in its hexavalent form, is a known carcinogen. Although the Army
has used chromium-6-based paint safely to protect and extend the life of
its expensive equipment, it was open to trying something else that wasn't
so potentially harmful both to human health and the environment. The
question was, what else is there?
Now they know. It's a different kind of chromium-based paint that uses
chromium-3 instead of chromium-6.
Willingness to find a new paint system turned to resolve in 2006 when
the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) released more
stringent regulations for permissible exposure limits of chromium-6. That's
when the Connecticut Army National Guard's 1109th Aviation Classification
Repair Activity Depot, which plays a major role in aircraft maintenance for
the Army, decided that finding a green alternative to the standard
chromium-6 paint system was better than upgrading its air filters to meet
the new requirements.
The maintenance team at the 1109th AVCRAD initiated a rigorous hunt for
a suitable replacement. What they found was a water-based chemical agent
resistant coating system that exceeds the performance of the old system.
The replacement coating system leaves a smoother finish coating and is more
resistant to fading and chalking, which minimizes the need for cosmetic
painting procedures.
The new chromium-3-based coating system is also safer to human health
and the environment because it reduces the use of hazardous materials and
the release of potentially harmful air emissions. It also significantly
reduces the harmful chemicals that are present when disposing of paint
stripping waste.
The new chromium-3-based painting system is a breakthrough for the
Army.
"AVCRAD's willingness to test and demonstrate the viability of
alternative aircraft primers will help eliminate they Army's use of
chromium-6, resulting in significant protection of human health and the
environment," says Dana Arnold, Chief of Staff for the Office of the
Federal Environmental Executive. "The Office of the Federal Environmental
Executive applauds AVCRAD for helping the Army to meet (an Executive Order)
while achieving its mission."
Partnering with the U.S. Army Aviation and Missile Command, the 1109th
Aviation Classification Repair Activity Depot initiated and now manages the
effort to promote use of the new paint system in both military and private
organizations.
For implementing the aviation industry's first chromium-3 painting
system suitable for use to the Army, the Connecticut Army National Guard's
Aviation Classification Repair Activity Depot will receive the Army's
highest honor in environmental stewardship -- the Secretary of the Army
Environmental Award. The award will be conferred on the installation at a
ceremony on April 4th, 2008.
SOURCE U.S. Army Environmental Command
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