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Risk assessment for n-methylpyrrolidone from EPA, US
25 March, 2015
US EPA releases risk assessment for n-methylpyrrolidone. chemicalwatch.com. March 24, 2015. A chemical, commonly used to remove paint and other coatings, poses risks to pregnant women and women of childbearing age who have high exposure, according to a final risk assessment released by the US EPA.The assessment of n-methylpyrrolidone (NMP) focused on exposures scenarios for those groups, “because the most sensitive health effects, selected for use in the risk assessment, affect the foetus,” it said. “Adverse developmental outcomes can arise from acute or repeated exposures, during critical windows of development, at any time during pregnancy; pregnancy can occur any time during women’s reproductive years and exposures can result in persistent chronic adverse effects.” So the risk assessment was based on developmental toxicity, associated with acute and repeated exposures.
The agency “assumed that exposures that do not result in unacceptable risks for these specific life stages would also be protective of others, including children, for other adverse outcomes.” The EPA does not expect that of adult males to reach levels that would be associated with reproductive effects or other systemic toxicity.
Acute and chronic risks for women of childbearing age, who use NMP for less than four hours per day, may be reduced by use of specific types of chemical-resistant gloves, the agency said. However, gloves and respirators do not adequately reduce risks when use is above four hours per day on a single day or repeatedly, over a succession of days.Because NMP has a low hazard profile for ecological receptors and low persistence and bioaccumulation, the agency did not evaluate potential risks to the environment, associated with releases of the chemical from paint stripping activities, as part of this assessment.
The chemical is a common alternative to methylene chloride, also known as dichloromethane (DCM), a chemical-based paint and coating remover.
The EPA has also identified risks associated with this, during the removal of paint and other coatings. The agency is considering a range of voluntary and regulatory actions to reduce risks for both chemicals.
It recommends finding safer chemicals, or taking precautions that can reduce exposures, such as using the product outside in a well-ventilated area, and wearing appropriate protection.
The agency said that there is no data on use of NMP-based paint strippers that would allow for a reliable estimate of the size of the affected population. However, it is expected that its use is less common than DCM-based strippers, so, therefore, the number of potentially exposed people. The number of workers using DCM-based strippers was estimated to be 230,000.
This is the fifth final risk assessment, released by the EPA under its Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) work plan.
“It is a reminder that as we evaluate these risks, it is very clear that our nation’s chemical laws are in much need of reform,” said Jim Jones, EPA assistant administrator, of the need to update the 40-year-old TSCA. “Completing this assessment will now trigger a process to address these unacceptable risks.”
Note:
Acute and chronic risks for women of childbearing age, who use NMP for less than four hours per day, may be reduced by use of specific types of chemical-resistant gloves, the agency said. However, gloves and respirators do not adequately reduce risks when use is above four hours per day on a single day or repeatedly, over a succession of days.Because NMP has a low hazard profile for ecological receptors and low persistence and bioaccumulation, the agency did not evaluate potential risks to the environment, associated with releases of the chemical from paint stripping activities, as part of this assessment.
The chemical is a common alternative to methylene chloride, also known as dichloromethane (DCM), a chemical-based paint and coating remover.
The EPA has also identified risks associated with this, during the removal of paint and other coatings. The agency is considering a range of voluntary and regulatory actions to reduce risks for both chemicals.
It recommends finding safer chemicals, or taking precautions that can reduce exposures, such as using the product outside in a well-ventilated area, and wearing appropriate protection.
The agency said that there is no data on use of NMP-based paint strippers that would allow for a reliable estimate of the size of the affected population. However, it is expected that its use is less common than DCM-based strippers, so, therefore, the number of potentially exposed people. The number of workers using DCM-based strippers was estimated to be 230,000.
This is the fifth final risk assessment, released by the EPA under its Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) work plan.
“It is a reminder that as we evaluate these risks, it is very clear that our nation’s chemical laws are in much need of reform,” said Jim Jones, EPA assistant administrator, of the need to update the 40-year-old TSCA. “Completing this assessment will now trigger a process to address these unacceptable risks.”
Note:
Additional information on the NMP final risk assessment and other work plan chemicals can be found at: http://www.epa.gov/oppt/existingchemicals/pubs/riskassess.html