Environmental guidance for your business in Northern Ireland & Scotland
An organic solvent is a type of volatile organic compound (VOC). VOCs are organic chemicals which vaporise at room temperature.
Organic compounds used as solvents include:
Organic solvents are often used:
They are also often used in the manufacture of pharmaceutical products, footwear, paints, varnishes and adhesives.
Organic solvents react in the atmosphere in sunlight, producing an air pollutant known as 'ground-level ozone'. High concentrations of ground-level ozone seriously affect human, animal and plant health. They also harm building materials, forests and crops.
Many organic solvents are classified as toxic or carcinogenic. They can cause significant air and water pollution, and land contamination.
What is an organic solvent?
Pollution Prevention and Control (PPC) Permits for solvent emissions
Why you should monitor your solvent use and emissions
How to monitor your solvent use and emissions
Solvent monitoring plan and solvent emissions data
Managing your solvents efficiently
Reducing solvent use in production and cleaning processes
Recovering and reusing solvents
Solvent limits in paints and varnishes
Groundwater in Northern Ireland, DAERA have produced a leaflet to raise awareness about this untapped resource
EU Exit, EU Exit useful information
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