Visiting US Expert Cites Dangers of Toxic Compound in Paint Removing Products, Presents Safer Alternatives
Citing increased risk of cancers and central nervous
system damage, as well as accidental exposure deaths, a visiting expert on
clean production has urged manufacturers of paint removing products containing
methylene chloride to consider switching to safer substitutes.
Speaking at a seminar yesterday on “Safer and Effective
Alternatives for Methylene Chloride in Paint Stripping Products,” Dr. Greg
Morose, Research Professor at the University of Massachusetts Lowell, drew
attention to steps by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to
potentially ban the extremely toxic solvent in paint strippers and the
voluntary plans by retail giants in US and Canada to stop selling such products
by end of 2018 or early 2019.
Methylene chloride, also known as dichloromethane, is a
highly volatile compound used as solvent in paint removing products. Because of its high volatility, poisonous
fumes are unavoidable. The major route
of exposure is via inhalation, but exposure may also occur through ingestion
and eye or skin contact.
The seminar, organized by the Philippine Association of
Paint Manufacturers (PAPM) with the EcoWaste Coalition, coincides with the
celebration of the Paint Industry Week as well as the International Lead
Poisoning Prevention Week.
An analysis conducted by the Center for Public Integrity
identified at least 56 accidental exposure deaths linked to methylene chloride
in the United States. The vapors from
paint strippers that include methylene chloride can depress a person’s central
nervous system, slow breathing and cause loss of consciousness and death,
according to the US EPA.
Based on environmental, health and safety evaluation and
performance testing, it is possible to design and test alternatives to
methylene chloride based paint strippers that are safer, cost effective, and
have equivalent performance, Morose said.
“One of the
biggest roadblocks that consumers and companies have to using safer
alternatives is performance. If the safer solution doesn’t work as well as the
product that contains toxic chemicals, then it’s more difficult for consumers
to make the switch,” he pointed out.
According to the US EPA, “effects of short-term (acute)
exposures to workers and consumers, including bystanders, can result in harm to
the central nervous system, or neurotoxicity. These effects include dizziness,
incapacitation, and, in some cases, death. Effects of longer periods of
exposure (chronic) for workers includes liver toxicity, liver cancer, and lung
cancer.”
As per the agency’s website, EPA is proposing to prohibit
the manufacture (including import), processing, and distribution in commerce of
methylene chloride for all consumer and most types of commercial paint removal,
and to prohibit commercial use.
US retail giants Home Depot, Lowe’s, and Sherwin-Williams
have announced their plans to stop selling paint strippers containing methylene
chloride and N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone (NMP) by December 2018, while Walmart will
stop selling them by February 2019. In
neighboring Canada, major retailer Canadian Tire will phase out such paint
removers by end of the year.
-end-
Reference:
Biosketch of Dr. Gregory Morose:
https://www.uml.edu/Health-Sciences/Public-Health/faculty/Morose-Gregory.aspx
https://www.epa.gov/assessing-and-managing-chemicals-under-tsca/risk-management-methylene-chloride
https://chemicalwatch.com/69824/walmart-to-phase-out-methylene-chloride-and-nmp-paint-strippers
https://chemicalwatch.com/70581/canadian-tire-to-phase-out-nmp-methylene-chloride-paint-strippers
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