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Section 6 of the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) requires EPA to address unreasonable risks that the Administrator has determined are presented by a chemical substance under the conditions of use. Following a risk evaluation carried out under the authority of TSCA section 6, EPA has determined that methylene chloride presents unreasonable risks of injury to health. EPA is initiating rulemaking under TSCA section 6 to address these unreasonable risks. EPA's risk evaluation, describing the conditions of use and presenting EPA's determinations of unreasonable risk, is in docket EPA-HQ-OPPT-2019-0437, with additional information in docket EPA-HQ-OPPT-2016-0742.

Statement of Need: Following a risk evaluation carried out under the authority of TSCA section 6, EPA has determined that methylene chloride presents unreasonable risks of injury to health. EPA is initiating rulemaking under TSCA section 6 to address these unreasonable risks. Risks were identified for a majority of the conditions of use including import, some processing conditions of use, most commercial conditions of use, and all consumer conditions of use.

Summary of the Legal Basis: Section 6 of the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) requires EPA to address unreasonable risks that the Administrator has determined are presented by a chemical substance under the conditions of use.

Alternatives: Decisions related to this analysis are still in process and not available for this rule.

Anticipated Costs and Benefits: Decisions related to this analysis are still in process and not available for this rule.

Risks: As identified in the risk evaluation, methylene chloride presents unreasonable risks to workers, occupational non-users, consumers, and bystanders. The unreasonable risk determinations are made based off non-cancer adverse effects from chronic (liver) and acute (central nervous system depression) inhalation and dermal exposure, and cancer adverse effects (liver and lung tumor) from chronic inhalation exposure.