US government sued for delaying dichloromethane paint stripper ban
Environmental Protection Agency advances long-awaited ban on consumer products, but allows commercial use to continue
Two years after the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) proposed banning methylene chloride (dichloromethane) in paint strippers, the agency has finally proposed new regulations to prohibit consumer use and limit commercial applications. However, environmental and public health advocates have sued the agency, saying that the rules do not go far enough, and that the EPA’s failure to finalise the rules sooner threatens public health.