EPA Recent Ban of Cancer-Causing Chemicals

The Environmental Protection agency has banned two chemicals that are known to cause cancer and are linked to other medical issues. The decision was based on decades of research revealing these compounds pose significant risks to human health and our environment. An announcement was made by the Biden-Harris administration on December 9, about solidifying efforts to enact protections before leaving office. This important and long overdue legislation would safeguard workers, consumers and residents from life-threatening harm.

The two affected substances are trichloroethylene (TCE) and perchloroethylene (PCE). TCE is now classified by EPA as toxic and can bring about a plethora of serious conditions including various cancers, organ and nervous system damage, (even in low concentrations). This element is found in many products such as degreasers, cleaning products, paints and adhesives to name a few. It is known to contaminate soil and groundwater and should be phased out over the next year. Although a leeway may be issued for specific situations where stricter worker safety measures are guaranteed.

PCE, commonly known as PERC, also poses significant health and environmental risks. This solvent is often used in the auto repair and dry cleaning industries, in water repellants, paint removers, glues, polishes and lubricants. It’s likely that PCE will be banned from most consumer and many industrial applications within three years, with a longer phase-out for the dry cleaning industry (10 years).

Because these chemicals are still quite prevalent in various manu­fac­turing products, such a sanction may have a major impact on the plastics industry, likely leading to increased costs and production challenges. The EPA continues its efforts to protect workers’ health and the environ­ment and is contemplating future injunctions on other chemical compounds commonly used in consumer and industrial formulations.

This legislation aligns with Slide’s 2012 decision to eradicate all chlorinated solvents from our product line (including TCE and PERC) – the government is 12+ years behind! We were concerned about any team members or customers being subjected to potentially dangerous chemicals when viable alternatives were available, even back then. Chief Strategist Michael Muth remembers: “Slide was the first company in our industry that made the decision to eliminate these toxins from our product line, researching and implementing viable options.”

The initial Slide replacement for those ingredients was n-Hexane. When the state of California contemplated adding n-Hexane to its “hit” list, Slide migrated to another option called Heptane. Both have similar performance and evaporation characteristics of the chlorinated variety. However, these ingredients tend to be highly flammable and require a greater degree of diligence regarding workplace safety.

Currently, 99%+ of our existing customer base has successfully switched to the new formulations without noteworthy issues or strife. However, when making any formula-based choices these days, Slide and our customers should perform a full evaluation of their needs and tolerances based on four main considerations:

• Flammability

• Health/environmental

• Performance properties

• Cost

Slide continues to be an industry leader in environmental commitment and action on several fronts. Here is the EPA’s detailed news release on this topic.

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