Washington — The Environmental Protection Agency desires to ban most industrial and industrial makes use of of methylene chloride.
Exposure to methylene chloride, which is ceaselessly utilized in bathtub refinishing, has contributed to the deaths of no less than 85 employees from 1980 to 2018, EPA says. A majority have been concerned in residence renovation contracting, with among the employees totally outfitted with private protecting gear.
In a remaining revised threat dedication printed in November, EPA discovered that methylene chloride poses “unreasonable” threat of damage to human well being beneath 52 of the 53 situations of use studied, together with:
- Plastic and rubber manufacturing
- Electrical gear, equipment and part manufacturing
- Oil and gasoline drilling, extraction, and assist actions
- Adhesive/caulk elimination
- Cold pipe insulation
- Aerosol and non-aerosol degreasing and cleansing
EPA introduced April 20 that it intends to subject a proposed rule within the Federal Register. The company will settle for feedback till 60 days after publication. Much of the phasing-down of methylene chloride can be carried out inside 15 months of the rule’s finalization.
A 2019 EPA remaining rule banned shopper use of methylene chloride however was met with authorized challenges when it didn’t embody provisions associated to industrial paint and coating elimination.
The company beforehand has linked publicity to methylene chloride to opposed well being results akin to most cancers, hurt to the central nervous system and toxicity to the liver.
“The science on methylene chloride is clear, exposure can lead to severe health impacts and even death, a reality for far too many families who have lost loved ones due to acute poisoning,” EPA Administrator Michael Regan mentioned. “That’s why EPA is taking action, proposing to ban most uses of this chemical and reduce exposures in all other scenarios by implementing more stringent workplace controls to protect worker health.”
In a press launch, Jonathan Kalmuss-Katz, an lawyer for environmental watchdog group Earthjustice, says methylene chloride “has claimed too many lives and caused too much harm to remain on the market. EPA is right to phase out many of that chemical’s most dangerous uses. This rule will save lives and is a tribute to the workers, families, and other advocates who have fought for years to protect people from this deadly chemical.”
