EPA Proposes Ban on 1-Bromopropane in Most Consumer Uses

SafeGuardSAutomotive, Electrical & Electronics, Hardgoods, Personal and Protective Equipment, Softlines, Toys and Juvenile Products16 Aug 2024

SG 131/24

The proposal is looking to ban 1-bromopropane in all consumer product uses except one and place workplace requirements on most industrial and commercial uses.

In November 2016, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced a list of the first 10 chemicals for risk evaluation under its amended Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA). If the risk evaluation determined an unreasonable risk posed by those chemicals, the agency is required to mitigate that risk. Following this process, the EPA has already proposed rules for carbon tetrachloride, N-methylpyrrolidone, Perchloroethylene and Trichloroethylene (SG 96/24, SG 76/23, SG 154/23), and finalized rules for asbestos and methylene chloride (SG 77/24).

On July 31, 2024 the EPA announced a proposed rule (89 FR 65066) for the solvent 1-bromopropane (1-BP), which is now the seventh chemical on the list for which the agency is initiating rulemaking. 1-BP is a solvent that is widely used in cleaning and degreasing applications, adhesives, sealants and insulation. Consumer uses for 1-BP include aerosol degreasers, adhesives, automotive care products and insulation.

The EPA determined that exposure to the chemical can cause serious adverse health effects ranging from cancer to damage to the liver, kidneys and nervous system, as well as reduced fertility. The EPA is looking to mitigate that risk under the proposed rule through prohibitions and a workplace chemical protection program (WCPP). Table 1 highlights details of these proposed measures.

Type of proposed measure	Requirement	Affected Applications	Proposed Effective Date
Prohibition	Prohibition	All consumer uses except in building/construction materials (insulation) Industrial or commercial uses such as other than listed under the WCPP, such as: Dry cleaning, spot cleaning and stain removers Adhesives and sealant Coin and scissor cleaners Automotive care products Anti-adhesive agents Functional fluids used as refrigerants or cutting oils Art, craft and hobby materials	6-18 months after publication of the final rule (staggered phase-out for manufacturing, processing, distributing and commercial/industrial uses)
Workplace Chemical Protection Program (WCPP)	≤ 0.05 ppm of 1-BP airborne concentration as an eight-hour time weighted average (TWA)	Domestic manufacturing Processing into formulation, mixture or reaction products Industrial and commercial use as solvent for open-top and in-line batch vapor degreasing Industrial and commercial use as solvent for closed-loop batch vapor degreasing Industrial and commercial use as solvent for cleaning and degreasing in cold cleaners Industrial and commercial use as solvent in aerosol spray degreaser/cleaner Industrial and commercial uses in other uses, in electronic and electronic products and metal products; asphalt extraction; laboratory chemicals; temperature indicator coatings	12 months after publication of final rule for non-federal workplaces 36 months after publication of final rule for federal agencies and federal contractors 60 months after publication of final rule for the Department of Defense
Workplace Chemical Protection Program (WCPP)	Glove requirement for any person likely to be dermally exposed to 1- BP	Manufacturing (import) Processing as a reactant Processing for incorporation into articles Processing as repackaging Processing as recycling Disposal	6 months after publication of final rule for non-federal workplaces 36 months after publication of final rule for federal agencies and federal contractors

In contrary to other EPA proposed or finalized rules on solvents, the 1-BP proposed rule does not include a de minimis level for formulations. The proposal also provides certain self-certification, notification and recordkeeping requirements to demonstrate compliance. Comments are accepted until September 23, 2024.

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