The UK Chemical & General Lab Safety Team assists researchers to maintain compliance with the OSHA Laboratory Standard (29 CFR 1910.1450). The Chemical & General Lab Safety Team provides safety guidance and materials to support research labs at the university and conducts the annual Lab Safety Inspections with a focus on all activities involving laboratory use of hazardous chemicals. This includes experimental, synthetic, extracted natural and manufactured stock chemicals.
The UK Chemical & General Lab Safety Team conducts their work using established public health principles and evidence-based practices. As such, the team strives to maintain familiarity with the vast research profile of the university and to establish rapport with UK's research and instructional labs on and off main campus in an effort to serve as a resource to the community. The team's office is available for consultation, guidance, and safety training to these labs. Please send any questions, concerns, or requests for assistance to labsafety@uky.edu. Thanks for visiting!
University of Kentucky research Laboratories with active storage or use of methylene chloride (a.k.a. dichloromethane), or products with this chemicals as a constituent, are asked to review the following information:You may already be aware that on April 30, 2024, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency finalized a ban on most uses of methylene chloride, a dangerous chemical known to cause liver cancer, lung cancer, breast cancer, brain cancer, cancer of the blood, and cancer of the central nervous system, as well as neurotoxicity, liver harm and even death. The EPA’s final action has also established a Workplace Chemical Protection Program for those still working within the scope of allowable use. This workplace chemical protection program has strict exposure limits, monitoring requirements, and worker training and notification requirements that will protect workers from cancer and other adverse health effects caused by methylene chloride exposure.
Uses that will continue under the Workplace Chemical Protection Program are highly industrialized and important to national security and the economy. These are uses for which EPA received data and other information that shows workplace safety measures to fully address the unreasonable risk could be achieved. These uses include:
1. Use in the production of other chemicals, including refrigerant chemicals that are important in efforts to phase down climate-damaging hydrofluorocarbons under the bipartisan American Innovation and Manufacturing Act.2. Production of battery separators for electric vehicles.3. Use as a processing aid in a closed system.4. Use as a laboratory chemical.5. Use in plastic and rubber manufacturing, including polycarbonate production.6. Use in solvent welding.
For uses of methylene chloride continuing under the Workplace Chemical Protection Program, most workplaces will have 18 months after the finalization of the risk management rule to comply with the Workplace Chemical Protection Program and will be required to periodically monitor their workplace to ensure that workers are not being exposed to levels of methylene chloride that would lead to an unreasonable risk. Please see the following link for full policy verbiage: Final Risk Management Rule for Methylene Chloride.
In an effort to stay ahead of this 18 month deadline, University of Kentucky research laboratories with storage and/or use of methylene chloride or products containing methylene chloride as a constituent are asked to:
1. Ensure the lab's chemical inventory is up to date and accurate in terms of the amounts of this chemical on site. It is to your advantage to ticket for waste any methylene chloride or products with methylene chloride as a constituent that are no longer in use.
2. Ensure the lab's Chemical Hygiene Plan contains established documented standard operating procedures for the use of this chemical. A fillable template for this purpose for the lab's convenience can be accessed HERE, using UK Linkblue username and password.. This same template is also available in the Documents Library in the SciShield system. SOPs must be submitted to the Department of Research Safety (labsafety@uky.edu)for the continued use of this chemical.
3. Ensure personnel have been documented as trained on methylene chloride's safe use.
4. Please self-identify by replying to labsafety@uky.edu with the PI/Lab name and location so we can begin verification and documentation that proper engineering controls, PPE and ventilation are in place. UK's Occupational Health and Safety Department will follow up with these labs to perform any needed exposure assessments.