Washington — The Environmental Protection Agency has pushed to Nov. 17 the effective date of certain regulations within a final rule that will ban the use of the toxic chemical trichloroethylene.
TCE is used in dishwashing products and as a solvent in brake and parts cleaning, recycling, and disposal. In 2014, EPA determined that the substance may cause cancer, developmental and neurological effects, and toxicity to the liver.
The agency will prohibit the manufacture, processing and distribution of TCE for consumer products and commercial uses, with much of the ban enacted within one year.
However, the delay – announced Aug. 19 – affects exemptions under Section 6(g) of the Toxic Substances Control Act that “permit several uses to continue under workplace restrictions for longer periods.” These include uses as a processing aid for manufacturing battery separators for lead acid batteries and as a chemical for “essential laboratory activities.”
EPA says the reasoning behind the delay is “pending litigation” in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 3rd Circuit that would stay the rule’s effective date.
The agency previously issued a final revised risk determination stating that TCE poses “unreasonable” risk to workers in certain operations.
