BEFORE THE EARLY 1970s, there was little apparent concern or even awareness of the amount of solvent that entered the atmosphere from coatings and allied products. As a result, in the early 1970s over 90% of applied industrial coatings were low solids in nature. That is, they contained from 10% to 20% by weight solids, excluding pigments or other suspended materials, and the remainder was solvent. Industrial coatings at that time were typified as being “low solids and solvent borne.” Architectural coatings, commonly known as house paints and varnish, were also solvent borne, and latexes were really just coming into commercial reality. In those days, many people said that latexes did not have the quality of oil-based paints-many latex paints did not. Today, latex house paints are prevalent, but because of their excellent application characteristics and properties, oil-based paints still have a solid place in the market. However, their slow drying nature and odor remain as deficiencies. Even latex paints are relatively slow drying.