(pounds) 33/50 CHEMICALS 1988 1992 1995 Chromium & Compound 0 440 544
Methylene Chloride 29,100 13,000 0 Methyl Ethyl Ketone 21,100 0 0 Methyl Isobutyl Ketone 218,200 130,850 74,693 Toluene 88,301 15,076 0 Xylene (mixed isomers) 745,000 340,903 80,211 TOTAL 1,101,701 500,269 155,448 Percent Reduction From Baseline Year (1988) 55% 86%
Methylene chloride has been linked by Federal OSHA to over 50 worker deaths nationwide since the mid-1980s, primarily from use in poorly ventilated spaces.
Trichloroethane, Trichloroethylene,
Methylene Chloride, Perchloroethylene and EnSolv (stabilised n-Propyl Bromide) have been selected to an identical set of tests on human cells.
of Demus SpA of Trieste, Italy decaffeinates coffee with
methylene chloride and has "one or two" customers in the U.S.
According to the European Chlorinated Solvent Association (ECSA), the continuing decline is driven by two factors--improved recycling of
methylene chloride and PER coupled with TRI users switching to alternative metal degreasing methods.
The FDA does not permit the use of
methylene chloride for tea decaffeination for consumption in the U.S., although it is permitted for coffee decaffeination.
The opacity limit will be set at 10% in the final rule); several extensions for key reporting requirements; less restrictive process tank cover and spill cleanup requirements (EPA removed the proposed requirement to cover all process tanks with a lid; instead, manufacturers will only be required to cover process vessels containing benzene or
methylene chloride); an exemption from particulate controls for pigments in the form of pastes, slurries, and liquids; an exemption for particulate controls that do not vent to the atmosphere; and an "opt-out" provision in which facilities that no longer use the hazardous air pollutants of concern are no longer subject to the rule.
Unlike the guidelines for
methylene chloride, there is no government set limit to the residual amount of ethyl acetate that may remain in the beans.
In combination with their high solvency power, both DBE and the new grade DBE lB offer a good alternative to many traditional solvents such as
methylene chloride or acetone.
Methylene chloride decaffeination: bad process or bad press?