Workers who use paint strippers containing methylene chloride, also known as dichloromethane (DCM), are at risk for cancer and other health problems, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) said in an assessment released on Aug. 28. EPA estimates that over 230,000 workers nationwide are directly exposed to DCM-based strippers. The findings of EPA’s final risk assessment could move the agency to regulate DCM.
EPA’s final risk assessment evaluated health risks to those performing paint stripping using a DCM-based product, as well as “occupational bystanders” who are indirectly exposed because of their proximately to locations where DCM paint strippers are used. “Paint stripping poses some of the highest exposures among the various uses of DCM,” the agency says in a Fact Sheet on DCM. The greatest cancer risks occur for workers handling DCM-based paint strippers with no respiratory protection for an extended period of time. EPA is beginning an effort to determine options for addressing the concern.
EPA is considering a range of possible voluntary and regulatory actions to address concerns and anticipates conducting a workshop later this fall to engage key stakeholders and the public on potential alternatives and risk reduction approaches.
In the meantime, EPA recommends that workers and consumers check the label to determine if a product contains DCM. If so, EPA recommends taking precautions that can reduce exposures, such as using the product outside or in an extremely well-ventilated area and wearing protective equipment.
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration designates DCM as a potential carcinogen and has specific standards for DCM exposure in the workplace, which varies between industries. There are unique rules for the construction industry.
The California Department of Public Health offers a safety-focused guide to selecting paint strippers. EPA also published a guidance document back in 1995 – What You Should Know About Using Paint Strippers – that offers general safety precautions.
Other Paint Strippers
EPA also is currently evaluating risks of another chemical in paint strippers called N-Methylpyrrolidone (NMP). EPA released a draft risk assessment for NMP that identifies risks associated with use of NMP-containing paint strippers. EPA does not expect the final risk assessment to significantly change this conclusion, and therefore recommends that anyone using NMP-containing paint strippers take measures to minimize exposure.
EPA frequently conducts risk assessments on chemicals to determine if they are safe for the public. The above-referenced assessments are among the dozens expected under an EPA effort to review the safety of 83 chemicals under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA). The results could lead EPA to ban, restrict, or require labeling of the chemicals, or declare them safe for current uses.
Additional information on these final risk assessments and other TSCA Work Plan chemicals can be found online – click .
Please contact Leah Pilconis, senior environmental advisor to AGC, at pilconisl@agc.org if you have questions.