On May 3, 2023, the EPA published a proposed rule in the Federal Register to ban most uses of methylene chloride.
        EPA approval for the proposed rule is granted under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA), and dichloromethane is the second chemical whose risk is regulated under the reform process created by Frank R. Lautenberg. The 21st Century Chemical Safety Act of 2016, after the agency followed a move to protect people from asbestos exposure, was introduced last year.
        Dichloromethane is used in a variety of ways, including consumer applications such as aerosol degreasers and brush cleaners for paints and coatings, commercial applications such as adhesives and sealants, and industrial applications in the production of other chemicals. For example, dichloromethane is used as a chemical intermediate in the production of hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs)32, which are used in blended refrigerants to replace substances with a higher global warming potential.
       At least 85 people have died from acute methylene chloride exposure since 1980, mostly home improvement contract workers who were fully trained and equipped with personal protective equipment, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.
        The agency’s unsubstantiated risk assessment for dichloromethane was due to risks associated with workers, professional non-users (workers who are nearby but not directly exposed to the chemical), consumers, and those in close proximity to the consumer’s place of use. The Environmental Protection Agency has identified risks of adverse human health effects, including neurotoxicity, liver and cancer effects from inhalation, and skin exposure to methylene chloride.
        The proposed risk management rules will rapidly reduce the production, processing and distribution of methylene chloride for all consumer uses and most industrial and commercial uses, most of which will be fully implemented within 15 months. For most of the uses of methylene chloride that the EPA proposes to ban, its analysis indicated that cost and effectiveness alternatives to methylene chloride products are generally available.
        “The science behind methylene chloride is clear and exposure can cause serious health consequences and even death, which is a reality for too many families who have lost loved ones to acute poisoning,” said EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan. in an agency press release. “That’s why the EPA is taking action by proposing to protect the health of workers by introducing stricter workplace controls that would ban most uses of this chemical and reduce exposure in all others. Contact. This historic proposed ban demonstrates the significant progress we have made in the implementation of new safeguards for chemical safety and the adoption of long overdue measures to better protect public health.”
        “For industrial manufacturing, industrial processing, and federal use that the EPA did not propose to ban, the EPA is offering a workplace chemical protection program with strict exposure limits to better protect workers,” it said in a statement. “The EPA has received industry input indicating that some facilities may already comply with proposed stricter methylene chloride exposure limits. These proposed requirements would allow the continued processing of methylene chloride to produce chemicals that are critical to reducing efforts to climate change outlined in the US Innovation and Manufacturing Report. Action is Important. Climate-friendly refrigerants and other chemicals play an important role in combating climate change, and the EPA’s proposed rule supports ongoing efforts to reduce emissions.”
       In addition, the EPA suggests that certain uses of dichloromethane required by NASA, DOD and FAA continue to be tightly controlled in the workplace, as exposure can be reduced enough in these very difficult conditions to minimize risk to workers as much as possible.
        “The proposed bans and restrictions will also protect society from exposure to methylene chloride,” the statement said. “The Environmental Protection Agency, using six years of toxic release exposure data, has identified a small number of facilities as a potential risk to fenced communities. The ban in the EPA’s proposed rule will cover the continued use of methylene chloride at most of these facilities, which is in fact a potential risk. to community.”
       Comments on the proposed rule will be accepted through the Federal Electronic Rulemaking Portal until July 3, 2023, entry number EPA-HQ-OPPT-2020-0465.
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