The Unite States Environmental Protection Agency formally concluded last week that formaldehyde poses an unreasonable health risk to workers and consumers, one of the last key steps in the government’s long journey to restrict use of the chemical category.
After releasing its final risk evaluation on Jan. 2, the agency, under the Toxic Substances Control Act, will not develop proposals for how to mitigate the risk – proposals that could include curbs against the use of formaldehyde and mandates for practices to protect workers exposed to it. Many in the U.S. lubricants industry have long expected that such an outcome would halt the use of formaldehyde in lubes, especially as biocides in metalworking fluids.
The final outcome remains uncertain, though, one the eve of Donald Trump’s return to the U.S. presidency. During his first term in office, the Republican scaled back on or killed numerous regulatory initiatives, and he has vowed again to roll back laws that he views as anti-business.
As the E.P.A. noted in its announcement last week, formaldehyde is found nearly everywhere, being released by the decay plants and animals and by the burning of everything from gas and automotive fuel to wood and candles. It is also used as an ingredient in the manufacturing of a wide range of materials such as textiles, semiconductors, glues, paints, plastics, furniture and toys. The lubes industry uses chemicals that release formaldehydes in a number of products, the most prominent being metalworking fluids, where some are used to kill bacteria that accumulate in fluid sumps – which can also pose health risks. Metalworking fluid suppliers have warned that they have already lost the ability to use some biocides and that cubs on formaldehydes could further reduce the dwindling list of effective options.
E.P.A. will now begin a process to develop recommendations for practices to protect workers and consumers. The agency did not offer a timeline for this process. Trump will be sworn into office Jan. 20.