Is Water-based Paint Used on Automobiles Environmentally Friendly?

With tightening environmental policy, 'oil-to-water' is now an inevitable trend in painting. Water-based coatings have clear advantages and grow with the trend, while solvent coatings have dim prospects and oil paint is destined to be eliminated. China emits 700 tonnes of VOC yearly from oil paint, and up to 110,000 people are poisoned in home, project and industrial painting - oil paint is clearly harmful and a major pollution source, while water-based paint (water-diluted, no organic solvent, benzene or toxic heavy metals) is non-toxic, non-irritating, non-flammable, saves energy and cuts harmful emissions. For transport, oil paint's flammability makes it unfit for modern safe logistics and needs hazardous-goods permits that block sales channels. Automotive water-based coatings include water-based, high-solid/very-high-solid and powder coatings. In Europe and the US, automotive water-based painting began in the 1970s; in China solvent paint is still mainstream for primer and topcoat, causing most VOC, especially thin basecoats with high VOC ratio. To meet environmental rules, low-VOC coatings are required; water-based automotive painting is the guide for industrial eco-painting and started the auto industry's water-based revolution.