Twelve AGs Filed Petition for Review of Flawed Risk Evaluation for Methylene Chloride

New York Attorney General Letitia James led a coalition of 12 attorneys general in filing a petition for review challenging the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) final risk evaluation for methylene chloride, a toxic solvent used in a range of industrial and consumer products, including paint strippers and coating removers. The AGs’ petition challenged the EPA’s determination that methylene chloride “does not present an unreasonable risk of injury to health or the environment.” Methylene chloride has been linked to cancer, cognitive deficiencies, asphyxiation, and at least 40 deaths since 1976. The petition followed an amicus brief filed in October 2019 by a coalition of nine attorneys general in support of environmental organizations who challenged the EPA’s final methylene chloride rule, which failed to prevent the continued exposure of tens of thousands of commercial users to the chemical.