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U.S. Department of Labor | |
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| Occupational Safety & Health Administration | ||||||
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OSHA News Release
2003 - 12/30/2003 - OSHA Withdraws Glycol Ethers Rulemaking Record |
OSHA News Release - Table of Contents |
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OSHA Trade Release December 30, 2003 Contact: Bill Wright Phone: (202) 693-1999 OSHA Withdraws Glycol Ethers Rulemaking Record
Agency cites as justification a major reduction in use and production over past decade WASHINGTON -- A decline in both the production and use of ethylene glycol ethers and their acetates has prompted the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) to terminate rulemaking, OSHA Administrator John Henshaw announced today. Said Henshaw: "The evidence that we've collected, including the comments we received after reopening the record last year, indicates there is little future potential exposure to the four glycol ethers because their use has largely been phased out. Based on that evidence, we've concluded that the rule is no longer appropriate and that we can focus our resources on regulatory efforts that will have a greater impact on workplace safety and health." OSHA proposed in 1993 to reduce permissible exposure limits for two ethylene glycol ethers (2-Methoxyethanol (2-ME) and 2-Ethoxyethanol (2-EE), and their acetates (2-MEA, 2-EEA). The substances have been commonly used in the automobile refinishing industry, as well as in construction paints, surface coatings, printing inks, and the semiconductor industry. At the time, OSHA estimated that approximately 46,000 workers were potentially exposed to the ethers and the associated risks of adverse reproductive and developmental health effects. The agency reopened the record in August 2002 seeking comment on how the substances were being used in the workplace, including their level of production, and the industries and processes in which they were used. It has been determined that a major decline in the production of the substances is apparent and that their use in several key industry sectors has been eliminated or is in the process of being phased out. Additionally, it's been shown that the limited production of the substances are in "closed systems" where employees not only have little opportunity for exposure, but those exposure levels more than 10 years ago were already at or below the permissible exposure limit in the proposal. The announcement will be published in tomorrow's Federal Register. OSHA is dedicated to assuring worker safety and health. Safety and health add value to business, the workplace and life. For more information, visit www.osha.gov. ###
This news release text is on the Internet at http://www.osha.gov. Information on this release will be made available to sensory impaired individuals upon request. Voice phone: (202) 693-1999. |
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OSHA News Release - Table of Contents |
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