EPA Proposes to Ban Chemical Used in Stain Removers

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) proposed a rule to ban the solvent 1-bromopropane (1-BP) under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) to safeguard public health and protect consumers and workers. The rule would prohibit all but one consumer use of 1-BP and some workplace uses if finalized.

Exposure to 1-BP can cause serious health effects such as skin, lung, and intestinal cancer; damage to the liver, kidneys, and nervous system; and effects on the reproductive systems that lead to reduced fertility.

The EPA also proposed worker protections for most industrial and commercial uses that would not be banned under the rule. These protections would help keep workers and consumers safe from the harmful effects of 1-BP exposure and align with President Biden’s Cancer Moonshot, a whole-of-government approach to end cancer. This is the seventh chemical for which EPA has proposed a rule to address unreasonable risks, including five chemicals CMM reported last week.

“The science shows that 1-BP can cause cancer and other serious health problems, and today’s action is an important step to use the power of our nation’s chemical safety law to finally protect people from this dangerous chemical and prevent cancer-causing exposure,” said Michal Freedhoff, Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention assistant administrator. “Our proposal would end all unsafe consumer exposures from this chemical and put strict protections in place for workers to ensure critical uses can continue safely.”

1-BP is a solvent widely used in cleaning and degreasing operations, spray adhesives, and dry cleaning. 1-BP is also used in insulation for building and construction materials and manufacturing other chemicals. Consumer uses of 1-BP include aerosol degreasers, spot cleaners, stain removers, and insulation.

The EPA proposed to protect the public from exposure to 1-BP by banning all consumer uses of this chemical except in insulation (because the EPA determined that this use did not contribute to the unreasonable risk to people). The ban on consumer uses would begin to go into effect within six months after the final rule is published and would come fully into force within 15 months.

EPA also proposed to ban some industrial and commercial uses of 1-BP for which EPA analysis identified safer alternatives. The ban on industrial and commercial uses would begin to go into effect six months after the final rule is published and would come fully into effect within 18 months. The industrial and commercial uses to be prohibited include:

• Dry cleaning, spot cleaning, and stain removers.
• Anti-adhesive agents used for mold cleaning and release products.
• Adhesives and sealants.
• Coin and scissor cleaners.
• Automotive care products used as engine degreasers, brake cleaners, and refrigerant flushes.
• Functional fluids used as refrigerants or cutting oils.
• Arts, crafts, and hobby materials.

The proposed rule would also require worker protections for several industrial and commercial uses of 1-BP that would continue, but which EPA has determined contribute to the unreasonable risk to human health that must be addressed. Non-federal workplaces would need to implement a Workplace Chemical Protection Program, including an exposure limit, within 12 months, to continue these uses.

EPA will accept public comments on the proposed rule for 1-BP for 45 days following publication in the Federal Register.  Members of the public may submit comments to docket EPA-HQ-OPPT-2020-0471 at Regulations.gov.

EPA will host a public webinar to provide an overview of the proposal on Wednesday, Aug. 28 at 1 p.m. EDT. Registration is available at the TSCA webinar page.