The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced a proposed rule under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) to safeguard public health and protect consumers and workers, with this latest proposal focused on the solvent 1-bromopropane (1-BP). Exposure to this chemical 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. If finalized, the rule would prohibit all but one consumer use of 1-BP, as well as some workplace uses.
The EPA is also proposing worker protections for most industrial and commercial uses that would not be banned under the rule. These protections would help keep both 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 as we know it. This is the seventh existing chemical for which EPA has proposed a rule to address unreasonable risks under TSCA section 6(a) since Congress amended the law in 2016.
“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, Assistant Administrator for the Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention. “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 that is 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 in the manufacture of other chemicals. Consumer uses of 1-BP include aerosol degreasers, spot cleaners, stain removers and insulation.
EPA is proposing to protect the public from exposure to 1-BP by banning all consumer uses of this chemical except in insulation (because 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 is also proposing 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.
- Adhesives and sealants.
- Coin and scissor cleaners.
- Automotive care products used as engine degreasers, brake cleaners and refrigerant flushes.
- Anti-adhesive agents used for mould cleaning and release products.
- 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, including its use in vapour and aerosol degreasing, electronics and electronic and metal products. To continue these uses, non-federal workplaces would need to implement a Workplace Chemical Protection Program, including an exposure limit, within 12 months. EPA is also proposing to require the use of chemical-resistant gloves within six months for some uses for non-federal workplaces, including manufacturing, processing (which includes recycling) and disposal, to protect workers from exposures to 1-BP through the skin. Federal agencies (and federal contractors acting for or on behalf of the federal government) would be required to implement a Workplace Chemical Protection Program and use chemical-resistant gloves within three years.
Many workplaces already employ stringent controls to reduce exposure to 1-BP. For some workplaces, such as those using 1-BP in vapour degreasing, these existing controls may already sufficiently reduce exposure to meet the inhalation exposure concentration limit proposed in this rulemaking.
EPA encourages members of the public to read and comment on the proposed rule. EPA is especially interested in hearing perspectives on the feasibility and efficacy of the proposed requirements from entities that would be required to implement the proposed workplace protections, such as manufacturers, processors and users of 1-BP, as well as small quantity users, such as laboratories.
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 the Regulations.gov page.
EPA will host a public webinar to provide an overview of the proposal on Wednesday, August 28, 2024, at 1:00 p.m. EDT. Registration is available on the TSCA webinar page.
