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From: Jeffrey Lewin <jclewin**At_Symbol_Here**MTU.EDU>
Subject: Re: [DCHAS-L] DCM Commentary?
Date: Nov 11, 2025 17:31 UTC
Reply-To: ACS Division of Chemical Health and Safety <DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**Princeton.EDU>
Message-ID: <CAEwQnqhn6e1qjixRkCgcWkR1kDVR8VqkxZ-M34aFrsVxdbT5MQ**At_Symbol_Here**mail.gmail.com>
In-Reply-To: <CO1PR17MB5385D66E207E350DA93E8856EBCEA**At_Symbol_Here**CO1PR17MB5385.namprd17.prod.outlook.com>
Today, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) finalized a compliance date extension for laboratories using methylene chloride to ensure long-term compliance with the requirements of the May 2024 final rule on methylene chloride issued under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA). This final rule extends the Workplace Chemical Protection Program (WCPP) compliance dates for non-federal laboratories by an additional 18 months, aligning them with the dates required for federal laboratories and their contractors in the May 2024 final rule. This decision, in support of the Trump Administration’s focus on reducing regulatory burdens, provides relief to non-federal laboratories facing near-term challenges in implementing the May 2024 final rule and prevents disruptions to environmental monitoring activities.
EPA received comments on the May 2025 proposed rule from various laboratories that use methylene chloride. Most commenters supported the proposed rule to extend WCPP compliance timeframes for non-federal laboratories. Many of these laboratories, which use methylene chloride in small quantities and somewhat infrequently, expressed challenges in completing the May 2024 methylene chloride rule’s requirements across potentially hundreds of laboratories within the short timelines prescribed in the 2024 rule.
Today’s action extends the following compliance dates for non-federal laboratories:
--- For more information about the DCHAS-L e-mail list, contact the Divisional membership chair at membership**At_Symbol_Here**dchas.orgDear All:
Please keep in mind the extensive comment that the Committee on Chemical Safety sent to EPA. This comment does not address Mary Beth’s question but provides some information about the initial confusion related to the new regulation:
Since then, ACS has put together a page that provides some additional resources related to DCM:
https://www.acs.org/green-chemistry-sustainability/research-innovation/solvents/dcm.html
with the goal of supporting academic departments as they are getting aligned with new EPA regulations.
Marta Gmurczyk
ACS Safety Programs, Senior Portfolio Manager
From: ACS Division of Chemical Health and Safety <DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**Princeton.EDU> On Behalf Of mulcahy**At_Symbol_Here**safety.acs.org
Sent: Saturday, November 8, 2025 12:42 PM
To: DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**Princeton.EDU
Subject: [EXT] [DCHAS-L] DCM Commentary?
[Actual Sender is owner-dchas-l**At_Symbol_Here**princeton.edu]
All,
I had a PI reach out to me recently to ask about the current DCM regulations and how to best interact with their ESH department to address them. The issue was the PI felt ESH’s approach was not reasonable. I found myself pointing them towards the DCHAS listerv conversations, but I wish I had had something more tangible (and centralized) to send them towards; I think PIs, researchers, and ESH professionals would benefit.
Years ago, I asked Imke to write COVID-19: A Risk Assessment Perspective (https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acs.chas.0c00035), and that paper has more that 20k views and 80 citations. I think a paper on DCM written with a similar approach where a single answer is not provided, but rather a summary of the various variables one might want to consider would also be impactful. Other paper I have asked people to write because I saw a need for the information include:
1. A Review of the LD50 and Its Current Role in Hazard Communication (https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acs.chas.0c00096)
2. Safety Data Sheets: Challenges for Authors, Expectations for End-Users (https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acs.chas.2c00015)
3. GHS Implementation to Strengthen Global Chemical Hazard Communication: Will We Ever Get There? (https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acs.chas.0c00114)
If there is anyone on the listserv who might be interested in writing such a commentary, I would be happy to meet with them and chat more. Or if there are a team of folks might be interested in tackling this together, that would be great as well.
Thanks,
Mary Beth
--
Dr. Mary Beth Mulcahy
Editor-in-Chief
ACS Chemical Health & Safetyhttps://pubs.acs.org/journal/achsc5
eic**At_Symbol_Here**safety.acs.orgmulcahy**At_Symbol_Here**safety.acs.org
--- For more information about the DCHAS-L e-mail list, contact the Divisional membership chair at membership**At_Symbol_Here**dchas.org