A lot of the discussion around volatile organic compounds (VOCs) has revolved around creating a safer workplace in printing and packaging companies using solvents—both in flexo platemaking and in the press room. But what happens when VOCs exit the building’s exhaust system?

According to the U.S. EPA, “Volatile organic compounds are compounds that have a high vapor pressure and low water solubility [and] typically are industrial solvents, such as trichloroethylene.…VOCs are emitted by a wide array of products numbering in the thousands. Examples include: paints and lacquers, paint strippers, cleaning supplies, pesticides, building materials and furnishings, office equipment such as copiers and printers, correction fluids and carbonless copy paper, graphics and craft materials including glues and adhesives, permanent markers, and photographic solutions.”

In that list, you probably see several things that are common in your production environment—and even in your office environment. Another emission we probably don’t think much about but which can be equally harmful to our planet when emitted into the atmosphere is ozone, a chemical that is made of three oxygen atoms joined together. The EPA’s Acid Rain Glossary notes that there are two types of ozone: good and bad. “Good ozone is found high in the Earth's atmosphere, and prevents the sun's harmful rays from reaching the Earth. Bad ozone is found low to the ground, and can be harmful to animals and humans because it damages our lungs, sometimes making it difficult to breathe.” Ozone has a very characteristic pungent odor, sometimes described as like chlorine bleach, and it can sometimes be detected after lightning strikes or during electrical discharges, according to the California Air Resources Board.