EPA Proposes Partial Ban and Workplace Controls for Solvent 1-Bromopropane
A proposed rule announced yesterday by EPA would ban some workplace uses of 1-bromopropane (1-BP) and prohibit all but one consumer use of the solvent. The agency is also proposing worker protections for most of the industrial and commercial uses of 1-BP that would be allowed to continue under the rule.
According to EPA, 1-BP is used in cleaning and degreasing operations, spray adhesives, and dry cleaning; as a reactant in the manufacture of other chemical substances; and in insulation for building and construction materials. It’s also used in consumer products like spot cleaners, stain removers, aerosol degreasers, and insulation. Health effects caused by exposure to 1-BP can include skin, lung, and intestinal cancer; liver, kidney, and nervous system damage; and reduced fertility, the agency explains.
Industrial and commercial uses of 1-BP that EPA seeks to prohibit include its use in dry cleaning, spot cleaning, and stain removers; in adhesives and sealants; in coin and scissor cleaners; in automotive care products used as engine degreasers, brake cleaners, and refrigerant flushes; in anti-adhesive agents used for mold cleaning and release products; in functional fluids used as refrigerants or cutting oils; and in arts, crafts, and hobby materials. These uses have “safer alternatives,” the agency explains. The one consumer use that EPA’s proposed rule would allow to continue is its use in insulation because the agency “determined that this use did not contribute to the unreasonable risk to people.”
EPA’s proposal would require a workplace chemical protection program for the uses of 1-BP that would be allowed to continue in vapor and aerosol degreasing, electronics, and electronic and metal products. The proposed rule also includes requirements related to some uses that are intended to protect workers from exposure to the solvent through the skin. For example, the proposal would require the use of chemical-resistant gloves for 1-BP’s uses in manufacturing, processing and recycling, and disposal. Non-federal workplaces affected by this provision would be required to implement the use of chemical-resistant gloves within six months from when the rule is finalized, whereas federal agencies and federal contractors would have three years.
Also described in the prepublication version of the proposed rule is an existing chemical exposure limit (ECEL) for inhalation exposures to 1-BP of 0.05 ppm (0.25 mg/m3) as an eight-hour time-weighted average. The ECEL is lower than other exposure limits for 1-BP. Current eight-hour TWA exposure limits include the ACGIH Threshold Limit Value, which is set at 0.1 ppm as of 2013, and the Cal/OSHA permissible exposure limit, which is set at 5 ppm. Federal OSHA does not currently have a PEL for 1-BP.
The pre-publication version of EPA’s proposed rule is available as a PDF. Once the rule is published in the Federal Register, the public will have 45 days to submit comments about the proposal. EPA says it is especially interested in feedback about the feasibility and effectiveness of the proposed requirements to protect workers. The agency encourages manufacturers, processors, laboratories, and other entities that use 1-BP to comment on this matter.
EPA personnel will provide an overview of the agency’s proposed regulatory action on 1-BP during a webinar to be held on Aug. 28. Individuals who wish to provide prepared remarks during the webinar must register by Aug. 21 at 5 p.m. ET, while those who simply want to listen can register until noon ET on Aug. 28.
Further information, including details about opportunities for public and stakeholder engagement, can be found on EPA’s webpage on risk management for 1-BP.