Using an alternatives assessment framework to evaluate waterborne versus solventborne basecoats used in automotive refinishing.

We evaluated two types of automotive basecoats used in automotive refinishing (i.e., in auto body shops): waterborne and solventborne. The primary tool we used for this evaluation was the Alternatives Assessment Guide (version 1.0) developed by the Interstate Chemicals Clearinghouse (IC2). The term "solventborne," as used in this article, refers to products that contain relatively high concentrations of volatile organic compounds (referred to as "high-volatile organic compound [VOC] basecoats" in the industry). These products are distinct from the "low-VOC" solventborne products used widely in California and elsewhere. From a health and environmental hazard perspective, our evaluation found that waterborne basecoats contained fewer hazardous ingredients and at lower concentrations than their solventborne counterparts. Automotive painters who spray-painted vehicles with waterborne products experienced significantly lower exposures to several harmful solvents. Waterborne products are readily available and offer advantages with regard to social impacts. Some of these advantages include lower worker and community exposure to VOCs, reduced VOC release and smog formation, and reduced potential for generation of and exposure to hazardous waste. Based on our assessment in auto body shops, we consider waterborne basecoats to be safer alternatives from both a human health and environmental perspective. Integr Environ Assess Manag 2022;18:1101-1113. Published 2021. This article is a U.S. Government work and is in the public domain in the USA.

High-resolution computed tomography bronchial lumen to pulmonary artery diameter ratio in anesthetized ventilated cats with normal lungs.

High-resolution computed tomography (CT) is the preferred noninvasive tool for diagnosing bronchiectasis in people. A criterion for evaluating dilation of the bronchus is the bronchial lumen to pulmonary artery diameter (bronchoarterial ratio [BA ratio]). A ratio of > 1.0 in humans or > 2.0 in dogs has been suggested as a threshold for identifying bronchiectasis. The purpose of this study was to establish the BA ratio in normal cats. Fourteen specific pathogen-free cats were selected for analysis of thoracic CT images. The BA ratios of the lobar bronchi of the left cranial (cranial and caudal parts), right cranial, right middle, left caudal, and right caudal lung lobes were measured. The mean of the mean BA ratio of all lung lobes was 0.71 +/- 0.05. Individual BA ratios ranged from 0.5 to 1.11. Comparing individual lobes for each cat, there was no significant difference (P = 0.145) in mean BA ratio between lung lobes. A mean BA ratio for these normal cats was 0.71 +/- 0.1, which suggests an upper cut-off normal value > 0.91 (mean +/- 2 standard deviations) between normal and abnormal cats.