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 |
|
| 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) |
|
| 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 |
|
| 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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