Washington — The Environmental Protection Agency is extending the comment period on a proposal requiring respiratory protection and cleaning plans to help reduce worker exposure to the chemical substance Pigment Violet 29.
Comments on the proposed rule, published Jan. 14, are now due April 29.
PV29 is used primarily as a colorant in consumer products such as paints, coatings, plastics and rubber products. In a final revised risk determination published in September 2022, the agency says PV29 as a whole chemical substance poses “unreasonable risk” to workers and occupational non-users under conditions including domestic manufacture and import and paint and coating processing. Under the “whole chemical” approach, the risk evaluations of all conditions of the substance’s use culminate in a single determination of whether the chemical presents unreasonable risk.
The proposed rule would mandate minimum respiratory protection and cleaning of work areas for uses in which employees are exposed to dry powder PV29:
- Incorporation into formulation, mixture or reaction products in paints and coatings
- Incorporation into formulation, mixture or reaction products in plastic and rubber products
- Intermediate in the creation or adjustment of color or other perylene pigments
- Industrial and commercial use in automobile paints and coatings (original equipment manufacturer and refinishing)
- Industrial and commercial use in coatings and basecoats for paints and coating
- Industrial and commercial use in merchant ink for commercial printing
- Domestic manufacturing, import, recycling and disposal
