EPA Enforces Ban on Several Industrial and Commercial Methylene Chloride Uses

On April 30, 2024, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) implemented a ban on most uses of methylene chloride, a hazardous substance linked to several cancers, neurotoxicity, liver damage, and even death. This action, taken under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA), aims to protect public health while permitting essential uses by enhancing worker protection measures.

Methylene Chloride:

Methylene chloride is widely used by consumers for products such as aerosol degreasing and paint and coating brush cleaners, as well as in commercial and industrial applications, including the production of environmentally friendly refrigerants. Despite an EPA ban on one consumer use in 2019, methylene chloride remains prevalent and has led to numerous deaths, particularly among workers in the paint stripping and refinishing industries, even when equipped with protective gear.

EPA’s Final Rule:

EPA's final risk management rule mandates a swift reduction in the production, processing, and distribution of methylene chloride for consumer, industrial, and commercial uses, including its use in home renovations. Consumer uses will be phased out within one year, while most industrial and commercial uses will be banned within two years. Additionally, the rule establishes comprehensive worker protections through a Workplace Chemical Protection Program that ensures strict exposure limits, monitoring, and training to protect against health hazards such as cancer from exposure to methylene chloride.

The uses that will continue under the Workplace Chemical Protection Program are highly industrialized and important to national security and the economy. These activities, backed by data and evidence, demonstrate that workplace safety measures can effectively mitigate any unreasonable risks. They include:

1. Use in the production of other chemicals, including refrigerant chemicals that are important in efforts to phase down climate-damaging hydrofluorocarbons under the bipartisan American Innovation and Manufacturing Act.
2. Production of battery separators for electric vehicles.
3. Use as a processing aid in a closed system.
4. Use as a laboratory chemical.
5. Use in plastic and rubber manufacturing, including polycarbonate production.
6. Use in solvent welding.

In highly specialized settings such as those mandated by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the Department of Defense, and the Federal Aviation Administration, strict workplace controls will continue for specific applications of methylene chloride.

Under the Workplace Chemical Protection Program, workplaces that continue to use methylene chloride will have 18 months after the risk management rule is finalized to align with the program's guidelines. They will need to conduct regular monitoring of their premises to guarantee that workers aren't exposed to levels of methylene chloride that pose unreasonable risks.

For more information, please refer to the Risk Management for Methylene Chloride page.