The VOC question is complicated because most of the Vertrel^® products are blends of different ingredients. Some of the additives are volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and are photoreactive, which means they can contribute to low-altitude smog. But some of the ingredients are not organic, so they do not contribute to this ugly problem. Lastly, some of the ingredients are organic but for various reasons have been rated as VOC Exempt (usually because they are not photoreactive because they have a very short atmospheric life).

Many, many common chemicals have VOC content. In general, chemicals that have high Global Warming Potential (GWP) have low VOC ratings. High VOC ratings generally mean a chemical has a low GWP. It's like a child's teeter-totter: one when side goes up, the other side must go down. It is almost impossible for a chemical to be both a low VOC and a low GWP, and the few cleaners that do accomplish this magic trick are usually flammable.

Here is a generalized listing of the ingredients in the different Vertrel^® blends:

HFC-43-10mee	VOC Exempt
HFC-365mfc	VOC Exempt
Dichloroethylene	Not Exempt
Ethanol	Not Exempt
Isopropyl	Not Exempt
Methanol	Not Exempt
Stabilizer	Not Exempt

DuPont has computed the rating of the VOC content for each product. That rating or index is expressed in grams of VOCs per liter of solvent. Here are the details:

VOC Content for Popular Vertrel ^® Blends

Product	GWP (100 yr ITH)
Vertrel® MCA Plus	665
Vertrel® MCA	536
Vertrel® SMT	645
Vertrel® XB3	46
Vertrel® XDA	8
Vertrel® XF	Completely Exempt
Vertrel® XM	89
Vertrel® XMS Plus	658
Vertrel® XP	49
Vertrel® XP10	142
Vertrel® XSi	Completely Exempt

For the specific details for each product, see the individual Product Specifications available on this web site.

So if you need cleaning with maximum performance, under demanding specifications and with challenging environmental criteria, the Vertrel^® specialty fluids are ideal choices.

(By the way, everybody asks about the Montreal Protocol, VOCs and global warming. The Montreal Protocol is all about ozone-depleting substances and does not address global warming or the VOC issue, although much data was collected. For more details about the issues, visit the United Nations web site, the Earthwatch web site, the GreenPeace web site, and a new location in the UK called OzoneDepletion.co.uk that has very good info without the polemics found on GreenPeace.)

 

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