WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senator Tom Carper (D-Del.), Chairman of the Senate Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee, today released the following statement on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) proposed ban on most uses of methylene chloride, a dangerous chemical known to cause serious risks to human health.

“Today, EPA took an important step forward in meeting its obligations under the Toxics Substances Control Act by proposing to limit the use of methylene chloride—a chemical linked to serious health risks,” said Senator Carper. “This science-based proposal is exactly the kind of commonsense protection that Congress envisioned when we passed the Frank R. Lautenberg Chemical Safety for the 21st Century Act nearly seven years ago. I applaud the Biden Administration’s commitment to prioritizing the safety of our workers, families and communities, and I am committed to ensuring EPA has the necessary resources to continue reviewing chemicals that pose the greatest risk to human health.”

EPA’s proposed risk management rule would rapidly phase down manufacturing, processing and distribution of methylene chloride for all consumer uses and most industrial and commercial uses, most of which would be fully implemented in 15 months. For most of the uses of methylene chloride that EPA is proposing to prohibit, EPA’s analysis found that alternative products with similar costs and efficacy to methylene chloride products are generally available.

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