US EPA faces lawsuit to regulate 1-bromopropane in air

Environmental and health groups are suing the US Environmental Protection Agency for not following through with its pledge to add 1-bromopropane to a list of regulated hazardous air pollutants. The EPA granted a petition to add 1-bromopropane to the list in June. The petition was filed nearly a decade ago by the Halogenated Solvents Industry Alliance (HSIA), which represents manufacturers of chlorinated solvents, and the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation. The petitioners claimed that 1-bromopropane in air increases the risk of cancer, reproductive effects, and neurological disorders. HSIA is concerned about manufacturers marketing 1-bromopropane as an alternative to the solvent trichloroethylene. The EPA concludedearlier this month that use of 1-bromopropane in metal degreasers, spray adhesives, stain removers, and other products poses unreasonable risks to consumers and workers. The agency did not assess risks to the general population from air pollution in that evaluation. Instead, it agreed to regulate 1-bromopropane as a hazardous air pollutant. The new lawsuit aims to ensure that the EPA actually does so.