Working with carbon tetrachloride requires ‘robust’ protections, EPA says

Washington — “Robust worker safety programs” that protect against exposure to the chemical substance carbon tetrachloride will be required, under an Environmental Protection Agency final rule that went into effect Jan. 17.

EPA says CTC poses “unreasonable” risk of injury to human health under multiple conditions of use. Used in commercial and industrial products, CTC has been linked to cancer and liver toxicity related to inhalation and being exposed to or absorbed through the skin.

The rule allows EPA to establish a workplace chemical protection program that sets the chemical exposure limit at 0.03 parts per million over an 8-hour time-weighted average for uses including:

• Domestic manufacture
• Import
• Processing as a reactant in the production of hydroflourocarbons and perchloroethylene
• Repackaging for use as a laboratory chemical
• Recycling
• Industrial and commercial use as an industrial processing aid in the manufacture of agricultural products

By comparison, OSHA’s permissible exposure limit to CTC is 10 ppm over an 8-hour time-weighted average.

EPA also mandates that anyone involved in the laboratory use of the chemical must use a fume hood or glove box, as well as personal protective equipment to protect their skin.

Additionally, the agency bans conditions of CTC use that, to its understanding, have “already ceased.” Among them:

• Incorporation into formulation, mixture or reaction products in petrochemical-derived manufacturing
• Industrial and commercial use in metal recovery
• Industrial and commercial use as an additive
• Industrial and commercial use in specialty uses by the Department of Defense

The rule also prohibits various discontinued uses.

“With this action, we’re ensuring that the chemicals we need to power our economy are used safely,” Michal Freedhoff, assistant administrator of the EPA Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention, said in a press release. “This rule puts necessary protections in place for workers, while also ensuring that important uses of this chemical can continue safely without unreasonable risk.”

CTC is among the first 10 chemicals to be evaluated for potential health and environmental risks under the Frank R. Lautenberg Chemical Safety for the 21st Century Act.