EPA Imposes Import, Export Requirements for Methylene Chloride

The EPA has published a final rule, effective July 8, imposing import certification and export notification requirements for methylene chloride, a chemical that has killed those using it as a paint stripper and for bathtub refinishing.

People who import the chemical must certify that it complies with the Toxic Substances Control Act, and if they are going to export methylene chloride, they must comply with export notification requirements in 40 CFR part 707, subpart D.

EPA had earlier banned the chemical in one consumer use, but this rule phases out imports for consumer use within a year, and most industrial uses will be prohibited within two years. It is not a blanket ban on import, however, becaues it can be used to produce refigerants, battery separators for electric vehicles, in plastic and rubber manufacturing, in solvent welding, as a laboratory chemical, and as a processing aid in a closed system, according to a press release ahead of the rule's issuance.