The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is proposing to ban most uses of dichloromethane (methylene chloride) under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA), which governs US chemical policy. Dichloromethane is a widely used laboratory solvent in products such as adhesives, sealants, degreasers and paint thinners. It is the second substance to be regulated under the reformed Tsca process, created in 2016, after asbestos last year.
       The EPA proposal calls for a ban on the production, processing and distribution of dichloromethane for all consumer uses, a ban on most industrial and commercial uses, and strict workplace controls for other uses.
        Laboratory use of methylene chloride will be regulated by the program and will be regulated by a workplace chemical protection plan, not a ban. The plan limits occupational exposure to an average of 2 parts per million (ppm) for 8 hours and 16 ppm for 15 minutes.
       New EPA Proposal Will Place New Limits on Dichloromethane Exposure Levels in Laboratories
        The Environmental Protection Agency has identified the risk of adverse human health effects from inhalation and skin exposure to methylene chloride, including neurotoxicity and effects on the liver. The agency also found that prolonged inhalation and skin exposure to the substance increased the risk of cancer.
        Announcing the agency’s proposal on April 20, EPA Administrator Michael Regan said: “The science behind methylene chloride is clear and its effects can cause serious health effects and even death. Too many people have lost loved ones to acute poisoning.” family”.
        Since 1980, at least 85 people have died from acute exposure to methylene chloride, according to the EPA. Most of them were home improvement contractors, some of them fully trained and wearing personal protective equipment. The agency noted that many more people are “experiencing severe and long-term health effects, including some types of cancer.”
        During the Obama administration, the Environmental Protection Agency determined that methylene chloride-based paint strippers posed “an unreasonable risk of injury to health.” In 2019, the agency banned the sale of such products to consumers, but it was sued by public health advocates who argued that the rules did not go far enough and that tougher measures should have been taken sooner.
        The EPA expects most of its proposed new changes to be fully implemented within 15 months and amount to a 52 percent ban on estimated annual production for TSCA end-uses. The agency said that for most of the dichloromethane uses it proposes to ban, alternative products are usually available at the same price.
       But the American Chemical Council (ACC), which represents U.S. chemical companies, immediately countered with the EPA, saying methylene chloride is an “essential compound” used to make many consumer products.
        In response to the EPA statement, the industry group expressed concern that this would “introduce regulatory uncertainty and confusion” to the current US Occupational Safety and Health Administration methylene chloride exposure limits. The ACC maintains that the EPA has not “determined that it is necessary” to set additional occupational exposure limits to those already set.
        The lobby also accused the EPA of failing to fully assess the impact of its proposals on the supply chain. “The scale of such rapid production cuts could have a significant impact on the supply chain if manufacturers have contractual obligations that they must comply with, or if manufacturers decide to stop production altogether,” the ACC warned. affect critical applications, including the pharmaceutical supply chain and certain EPA-defined corrosion-sensitive critical applications.”
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