Protecting Workers in Industries that Utilize 1-Bromopropane and Other Solvents

In February, the U. S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released for public comment and peer review a draft risk assessment for 1-bromopropane (1-BP), also known as n-propyl bromide. The draft assessment was conducted as part of EPA’s Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) Chemical Work Plan assessment effort.  According to the document, 1-BP showed acute risks to women of childbearing age from adverse developmental effects. Other non-cancer and cancer health risks were identified for workers with repeated and chronic exposures, including neurotoxicity; kidney, liver and reproductive toxicity; and lung cancer.
 
This past August, California’s Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) added 1-bromopropane to the list of chemicals known to the state to cause cancer for purposes of Proposition 65.  The listing of 1-bromopropane (1-BP) was based on formal identification by the National Toxicology Program (NTP) that the chemical causes cancer. 
 
The Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA) reports that the use of 1-BP has increased over the past 20 years.  The solvent is often found in products used in vapor and immersion degreasing operations for cleaning metals, plastics and electronic and optical components; adhesive spray applications; dry cleaning; and solvent sprays used in operations like asphalt production, aircraft maintenance and synthetic fiber manufacturing.
 
“Employers in industries utilizing 1-BP or other solvents need to minimize employee risks,” said Derrick A. Denis, Vice President of IEQ at Clark Seif Clark (CSC). “This can be done by eliminating the need for solvents altogether or substituting 1-BP with a comparable benign product.  If 1-BP cannot be eliminated or supplanted then consider administrative controls, such relocating employees, and/or consider engineering controls, such as area isolation or ventilation.  Should worker exposure monitoring data or predictive calculations indicate employee exposure risk, then hazard-appropriate personal protective equipment should be selected and put into practice. At CSC, we offer consulting and testing for 1-BP and other occupational chemical exposure risks to protect workers and to keep companies in compliance with health and safety regulations.”
 
CSC also recently sponsored an educational video about 1-bromopropane that can be seen at: https://youtu.be/Ocm-1IYZus8
 
To learn more about this or other occupational, environmental, indoor air quality, health and safety testing services, please visit www.csceng.com, email csc@csceng.com or call (800) 807-1118. 
 
About Clark Seif Clark
CSC was established in 1989 to help clients in both public and private sectors address environmental, IAQ, and health and safety (EH&S) issues. CSC is a leading provider of these services with multiple offices along the western seaboard and southwest. The company believes in science-based protocols and has a strong background in engineering, making them the preferred environmental consultants to industrial clients, healthcare facilities, architects, schools, builders, contractors, developers and real estate professionals.
 

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Paul Cochrane

President

Cochrane & Associates, LLC

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