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ETUC wants dangerous paint stripper outlawed
08/07/2008
The ETUC is calling for a blanket ban on paint strippers that contain dichloromethane, a member of the chlorinated solvent group of chemicals that is responsible for a large number of deaths and accidents between 1989 and 2007. These paint removers are on open sale not just to building industry professionals, but also to ordinary shoppers on DIY store shelves. The European Parliament's (EP) Environment Committee is shortly to give its opinion on the Commission proposal to restrict their sale and use.
The European Commission is proposing to outlaw all sales to the public, who are often least aware of the dangers of dichloromethane and have least access to protective equipment. Some professional users working away from industrial premises will also be banned from using these products, although Member States will be able to authorize their purchase and use by appropriately trained and licensed approved professionals. The industrial use of these products will be permitted under strictly controlled conditions. The Commission proposal will require that protective equipment (gloves and masks) be worn, modification of strip tanks, and adequate ventilation where the work is done.
The ETUC thinks the provisions on professional users fall short. The trade union body wants a total ban on dichloromethane-based paint strippers, including for licensed professionals.
“Most professional users of dichloromethane-based paint strippers are self-employed painters and decorators, so Member States will have difficulty in stopping unlicensed professionals from using this kind of paint remover”, emphasizes the ETUC in a letter to the EP.
The ETUC points out that non-dichloromethane paint strippers are readily available on the market. A ban on this toxic chemical is absolutely in line with EU health and safety at work law, one requirement of which is that dangerous substances should be replaced where a safer alternative is available. It is noteworthy that eight of the 18 people who have died as a result of dichloromethane exposure were professional users, and that several European countries have already taken steps to ban or replace dichloromethane.
Dichloromethane damages the central nervous system and is a suspected carcinogen. Europe’s dichloromethane market amounted to 138 000 tonnes in 2003.
