Protocols for Substituting and Eliminating Methylene Chloride

Question

How is USD complying with the new EPA ruling on Methylene Chloride?

Answer

  1. The EPA determined that methylene chloride poses an unreasonable risk to human health or the environment following review under Toxic Substance Control Act (TSCA) regulations. Environmental Health & Safety (EH&S) has established protocols for substituting and eliminating methylene chloride, as well as a worker chemical protection plan. Table 1 below outlines the new exposure limits for Methylene Chloride.
Table 1: Comparison of the OSHA methylene chloride exposure limits to the new EPA rule
Rule OSHA New EPA
8-Hour Time Weighted average (TWA) 25 ppm 2 ppm
15-Minute Short Term Exposure Limit (STEL) 125 ppm 16 ppm
Action Level 12.5 ppm 1 ppm

Additional resources, including what these new limits mean for your application, can be found in the attached Environmental Health & Safety Methylene Chloride Fact Sheet

Please reach out to Environmental Health & Safety at EHS@usd.edu for questions and additional resources

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