An EPA ban on methylene chloride paint removers for consumer use takes effect on November 24, 2019. The ban will require establishments, including e-commerce sites, to permanently suspend the sale of paint removal products containing methylene chloride to consumers.
EPA is also working on a future rulemaking that could establish a federally-enforceable training, certification, and limited access program for methylene chloride for commercial uses.
EPA requires that releases of methylene chloride of 1,000 pounds or more be reported to the federal government. EPA also has guidelines on how much methylene chloride a person can be exposed to for certain amounts of time “without causing risk to human health.”
OSHA has set a permissible exposure limit for methylene chloride for workers. In food products such as spices, hops extract for beer and decaffeinated coffee and tea, FDA has established limits on the amounts of methylene chloride that can remain in a product. Under the Federal Hazardous Substances Act, the Consumer Product Safety Commission requires labeling for products containing methylene chloride.