The Environmental Protection Agency said Thursday that it would not reevaluate a report conducted during Barack Obama's administration about the dangers posed by methylene chloride, a paint-stripping chemical, The Hill reported.
The EPA also announced that it would continue the regulatory process for the solvent that the Obama administration started in 2016, and would "shortly" send the process to the White House Office of Management and Budget for review.
EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt met personally with Wendy Hartley and Cindy Wynne, whose sons, among dozens of others, died from exposure to the chemical solvent, the report said.
Advocates in favor of banning the solvent, which can cause symptoms such as dizziness, nausea, headaches, to suffocation, coma, and death, praised the EPA's announcement.
Sen. Tom Carper, D-Del., welcomed the news, saying methylene chloride is "so dangerous that it has killed dozens of people even when they were wearing protective gear," The Hill reported.
"It is long past time to do the right thing and take this deadly product off the shelves," said Sarah Vogel, vice president of Health at the Environmental Defense Fund.
The EPA secretary told lawmakers at a hearing in April that he believed a decision on a ban could be made within the year, The Hill reported.
© 2024 Newsmax. All rights reserved.