In April 2024, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued a final rule regulating methylene chloride (CAS# 75-09-2, also identified as dichloromethane or DCM) under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA). All FIU operations (research, academic, and maintenance) that use this material will be impacted.
This rule applies to all products and mixtures containing 0.1% or more methylene chloride. All impacted areas will need to do the following to comply with the new requirements:
Nearly all commercial and industrial uses, such as use as a solvent or paint remover in other university applications (e.g., facilities management use, as a product in the arts, etc.) are prohibited.
Under the new rule, research laboratories who continue to use methylene chloride because a substitute cannot be used must meet all EPA requirments by the required deadlines. IMPORTANT! The new requirements for continued use will result in impacts to budgets due to exposure monitoring and increased manufacturing/importing costs.
For more information, refer to the guides below. Contact EH&S with any questions or concerns at ehs@fiu.edu.
Continued use of methylene chloride requires an area-specific workplace protection plan. A guidance document and template are provided below. This plan should outline exposure limits, monitoring requirements, exposure control, regulated area requirements, training, and recordkeeping.
If your area already has a plan developed, please make sure of its compliance by comparing it to the guidance document.
Methylene Chloride WPP Requirements
IMPORTANT: The template provided can be freely manipulated. We strongly advise AGAINST removing or changing any information/parts that have not been designated to do so, as this may put your area at risk of falling out of compliance.
