Controls of PVC Chemical Needed to Protect Workers, EPA Says (1)

A widely used industrial solvent poses too great a risk of harm to workers’ health and must be restricted, the EPA announced Friday.

The Environmental Protection Agency released its final risk assessment for 1,2-dichloroethane—a solvent primarily used to make polyvinyl chloride (PVC), but also used for other plastics, upholstery, wall coverings, housewares, and automobile parts.

Excessive exposure to the solvent can harm kidney function, increase the risk of cancer, and impair men’s fertility, the agency said.

That conclusion triggers a Toxic Substances Control Act requirement that the agency start developing a rule to reduce the unreasonable health risks posed by ...