Risk Evaluation for Methylene Chloride
In April 2024, EPA finalized a risk management rule to protect people from the unreasonable risk posed by methylene chloride.
In November 2022, EPA released a final revised risk determination for methylene chloride, which amends the June 2020 risk evaluation for methylene chloride under the amended Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA). The final revisions to the risk determination were made in accordance with the path forward for the first 10 risk evaluations under TSCA laid out by EPA in June 2021. The final revised risk determination is based on methylene chloride as a whole chemical substance (rather than on individual conditions of use) and does not assume that all workers exposed to methylene chloride are always provided or appropriately wear personal protective equipment. EPA considered information on use of personal protective equipment, engineering controls, and other ways industry protects its workers as part of the risk management process.
- Background on Methylene Chloride
- Uses of Methylene Chloride
- Risk Evaluation of Methylene Chloride under Amended TSCA
- Review of Methylene Chloride Prior to Amended TSCA
- Learn about risk management for methylene chloride.
- Learn about EPA's ban on consumer sales of MC in paint and coating removal.
- Find information about other chemicals undergoing risk evaluations under TSCA.
Background on Methylene Chloride
Methylene chloride, also known as dichloromethane and DCM, is a volatile chemical used in a wide range of industrial, commercial, and consumer applications. Information from the 2020 Chemical Data Reporting (CDR) for methylene chloride indicates the reported production volume is 100 to 500 million pounds per year.
Uses of Methylene Chloride
Commercial and industrial uses of methylene chloride include use as a solvent in vapor degreasing, metal cleaning, in the production of refrigerant chemicals, and as an ingredient in sealants and adhesive removers. Consumers uses include adhesives, sealants, degreasers, cleaners, and automobile products.
Risk Evaluation of Methylene Chloride under Amended TSCA
In November 2022, EPA released a final revised risk determination for methylene chloride. The final revised risk determination finds that methylene chloride presents an unreasonable risk of injury to health under its conditions of use.
In the 2020 risk evaluation, EPA assessed the impact of methylene chloride on workers, occupational non-users, consumers, and bystanders. The primary health risks identified in the 2020 risk evaluation are neurotoxicity from short-term exposure to the chemical and liver effects and cancer from long-term exposure. After reviewing these data, EPA determined that risk to workers, occupational non-users (workers nearby but not in direct contact with this chemical), consumers, and bystanders drive the whole chemical determination of unreasonable risk. Risk from 52 out of 53 conditions of use evaluated drive the final revised whole chemical determination of unreasonable risk of injury to health. One out of 53 conditions of use does not drive the unreasonable risk: distribution in commerce.
In June 2020, EPA released the risk evaluation for methylene chloride.
In October 2019, EPA released the draft risk evaluation for methylene chloride for public comment and peer review.
- Read the draft risk evaluation for methylene chloride.
- Learn more about the peer review for methylene chloride.
In June 2017, EPA released the scope document for methylene chloride which included the hazards, exposures, conditions of use, and the potentially exposed or susceptible subpopulations EPA expected to consider in its risk evaluation. In June 2018, EPA released the problem formulation for methylene chloride which refined the scope of the risk evaluation by clarifying the chemical conditions of use that EPA expected to evaluate and describing how EPA expected to conduct the evaluation.
After releasing the scope documents for each of the first 10 chemicals undergoing risk evaluation under TSCA, the dockets for each of these first 10 chemicals were open for public comments. Read EPA’s Responses to Public Comments Received on the Scope Documents for the First Ten Chemicals for Risk Evaluation under TSCA. This document addresses cross-cutting public comments received in response to the scope document.
Review of MC Prior to Amended TSCA
Prior to the Frank R. Lautenberg Chemical Safety for the 21st Century Act, EPA completed a risk assessment for MC, addressing use in paint and coating removal products, and published the following information: