Chemicals: US EPA Prohibits Methylene Chloride for All Consumer Use

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has classified methylene chloride as a health hazard, citing unreasonable risks to health under its conditions of use. Effective July 4, 2024, the final rule:

1. Prohibits the manufacture, processing, and distribution of methylene chloride for all consumer use;
2. Prohibits most industrial and commercial use of methylene chloride;
3. Requires a workplace chemical protection program (WCPP), including inhalation exposure concentration limits and related workplace monitoring and exposure controls;
4. Identify a de minimis threshold for products containing methylene chloride for the prohibitions and restrictions on methylene chloride;
5. Requires recordkeeping and downstream notification requirements for manufacturing, processing, and distribution in commerce of methylene chloride;
6. Provides a 10-year time-limited exemption under TSCA section 6(g) for emergency use of methylene chloride inf furtherance of NASA’s mission for specific conditions.

This final rule applies to all TSCA conditions of use for methylene chloride, with the exception of its use in consumer paint and coating removers.

Methylene chloride is a widely used solvent in a variety of consumer and commercial applications including adhesives and sealants, automotive products, and paint and coating removers. The final rule is being issued due to the chemical’s lethal, neurotoxic, and carcinogenic properties.

Official source

Methylene Chloride; Regulation Under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA)