WASHINGTON (AP) — The Environmental Protection Agency said Tuesday it has finalized a ban on consumer uses of methylene chloride, a chemical that is widely used as a paint stripper but is known to cause liver cancer and other health problems. The EPA said its action will protect Americans from health risks while allowing certain commercial uses to continue with robust worker protections. The rule banning methylene chloride is the second risk management rule to be finalized by President Joe Biden’s administration under landmark 2016 amendments to the Toxic Substances Control Act. The first was an action last month to ban asbestos, a carcinogen that kills tens of thousands of Americans every year but is still used in some chlorine bleach, brake pads and other products. “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. The new rule , he said, “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 10 worst cities to drive in the US are revealedScores of Syrians return home after years at camp housing people linked to the Islamic State groupAn extremist group and ethnic militias committed atrocities in Mali, Human Rights Watch saysDisney receives key approval to expand Southern California theme parksAtlanta music festival Music Midtown canceled this yearThe opening round of the Wells Fargo Championship is delayed with rain in the forecastFormer Daytona 500 winner McDowell will leave Front Row Motorsports for Spire in 2025Scores of Syrians return home after years at camp housing people linked to the Islamic State groupCroatia ruling conservatives will form government with a farAn extremist group and ethnic militias committed atrocities in Mali, Human Rights Watch says