EPA issues final ruling banning methylene chloride linked to range of cancers

April 30 (UPI) -- The Environmental Protection Agency on Tuesday issued a final rule on the use of the toxic chemical methylene chloride, which is used in paint products and for coating brush cleaners, aerosol degreasing products and other applications.

Methylene chloride, which also has been used in adhesives and sealants and in industrial settings for making other chemicals, has been linked to liver, lung, breast, brain and blood cancers. It also attacks the central nervous system and its liver harm has led to deaths.

"Exposure to methylene chloride has devastated families across this country for too long, including some who saw loved ones go to work and never come home," EPA Administrator Michael Regan said in a statement.

"EPA's final action brings an end to unsafe methylene chloride practices and implements the strongest worker protections possible for the few remaining industrial uses, ensuring no one in this country is put in harm's way by this dangerous chemical."

The EPA said that, since 1980, at least 88 people have died from acute exposure to methylene chloride. Most of the affected workers engaged in bathtub finishing or paint stripping. The agency said that, in some cases, the workers were fully trained with the proper personal medical equipment.

"My son, Kevin, died in 2017 from methylene chloride exposure from refinishing a bathtub at work," said Wendy Hartley in a statement released by the EPA. "I am pleased that the EPA is finally taking action and banning methylene chloride as a commercial bathtub stripper. This is a huge step that will protect vulnerable workers."

Home Depot stopped selling paint strippers using methylene chloride in 2018, following in the footsteps of many smaller home improvement outlets after reports spread about the dangerous nature of the chemical and other toxins in related products.