This fact sheet provides an overview of regulations governing use and production of two ozone-depleting solvents, CFC-113 and methyl chloroform. The fact sheet also discusses regulations on substitutes and provides information on how to find a substitute.
A: Yes. Under the Clean Air Act, the U.S. is phasing out production of methyl chloroform and CFC-113 by January 1, 1996.
A: Yes. 1,1,1 is just another name for methyl chloroform (MCF). If you want more information, EPA has a factsheet explaining the phaseout that you can request from the Stratospheric Ozone Protection Hotline at 1-800-296-1996.
A: No. The phaseout applies to chemical production and imports, not use. However, as the phaseout date approaches, it will get more and more difficult--and expensive--to buy methyl chloroform and CFC-113. After January 1, 1996, only materials held in inventory or recycled would be available for use.
A: No. Although these chemicals are chlorinated solvents like MCF and CFC-113, they are not regulated as ozone depleters under the Clean Air Act. This is because even though these molecules have chlorine in them, they do not damage the stratospheric ozone layer since their atmospheric lifetimes are very short and they decompose before reaching the ozone layer.
A: EPA's Significant New Alternatives Policy program. The SNAP program implements Section 612 of the Clean Air Act.
A: Under SNAP, EPA is evaluating the chemicals that companies want to use instead of the ozone-depleting substances, and making sure that they won't cause greater damage to human health and the environment than the ozone depleters they are replacing. Based on this evaluation, EPA then has to come up with a list of acceptable substitutes and a list of unacceptable substitutes.
A: Yes, the first list under SNAP was published in the Federal Register on March 18, 1994 (59 FR 13044). You can request copies of the SNAP tables from the Stratospheric Ozone Protection Hotline at the number listed below. In addition to the decisions issued in February, EPA will continue to add new substitutes to the SNAP lists as they are developed and submitted to the Agency for review.
A: You should first check the list of acceptable substitutes under SNAP for cleaning. If your substitute is already on the list, you don't need to request EPA approval. If it's not on the list, you should submit your substitute for EPA review by contacting:
SNAP Coordinator
Stratospheric Protection Division, 6205J
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
401 M Street, S.W.
Washington, D.C. 20460
(202) 233-9739
FAX (202) 233-9577.
A: EPA has a list of vendors selling cleaning substitutes. You can contact the SNAP Coordinator and request to be placed on that list.
A: No. EPA is planning on reviewing only solvent substitutes in three key areas that use CFC-113 and MCF. Those three are industrial solvent cleaning, aerosols, and adhesives, coatings and inks. EPA is not planning to review substitutes for more minor uses of CFC-113 and MCF unless an environmental risk is expected to exist. Minor uses currently not subject to review include:
A: EPA has already approved most solvent cleaning substitutes, including:
A: No. If a chemical has other regulations that cover it, you still have to follow those regs. For example, if you use a substitute that is a VOC, you still have to follow whatever controls your state requires you to adopt.
A: No. These chemicals are regulated under other laws for a number of reasons:
A: You can call EPA's Office of Air Quality Planning and Standards (OAQPS). The name of the analyst working on this regulation is Paul Almodovar. His number is 919-541-0283.
A: Call David Cole at 919-541-5565 in OAQPS for general information on federal VOC standards. You should also contact your state EPA or local air board to find out the exact regulations for your community.
A: Two cleaning substitutes are subject to restrictions under SNAP. HCFC-141b is listed as unacceptable, and is banned for non-aerosol cleaning purposes. Perfluorocarbons are listed as "acceptable subject to narrowed use limits" and as a result are approved only for certain specialized uses. In addition, in the "pending" category, several other substitutes are discussed that are likely to be subject to restrictions once EPA issues the next round of SNAP listings.
A: Under SNAP, EPA has banned the use of 141b as a cleaning substitute in new cleaning equipment as of April 18, 1994 (including in retrofits made after the effective date of the rule) and in existing equipment as of January 1, 1996. "Existing equipment" means equipment that companies have shown a clear intention to use and have purchased before the effective date of the SNAP determination. The only exceptions to the ban, if any, will be for 141b as a CFC-113 substitute where users can demonstrate that no other substitute is technically feasible. EPA will not grant future exceptions for replacing MCF with 141b. Under this approach, 141b may not be used for cleaning basic metal parts or cleaning printed circuit boards, since many other substitutes are available for these applications.
HCFC-141b is also included in the accelerated production phaseout regulations for ozone-depleting substances, and will be phased out of production by January 1, 2003.
Furthermore, sales of most aerosol products containing HCFCs were prohibited after January 1, 1994 by regulations EPA developed under section 610(d) of the Clean Air Act (the Nonessential Products Ban).
These restrictions are necessary because 141b has nearly the same ozone depletion potential as MCF, so there's little or no environmental benefit to switching from CFC-113 or MCF to 141b.
If you want more information on HCFC-141b and its restrictions, you should contact EPA directly.
A: EPA issued the ban on HCFCs in nonessential products on December 30, 1993 (58 FR 69638) and it was effective on January 1, 1994. This regulation bans, among other things, use of HCFCs in aerosol products. However, section 610 authorizes EPA to grant exemptions from the ban based on lack of alternatives and concerns for flammability and worker safety. EPA has exempted the following products with HCFC solvent or propellants from the section 610(d) ban:
If you have further questions on the Nonessential Products Ban, you should request the related factsheet from the Stratospheric Ozone Protection Hotline at the number listed below.
A: Under SNAP, perfluorocarbons (PFCs) are listed as "acceptable subject to narrowed use limits," and may only be used in electronics and precision cleaning for high-performance, precision-engineered applications where companies have made reasonable efforts to ascertain that other alternatives are not technically feasible due to performance or safety requirements.
These restrictions are necessary because the perfluorocarbons have very long atmospheric lifetimes, and are potent greenhouse gases.
Examples of the types of specialized parts that may need to be cleaned with PFCs are gyroscopes, direct access storage devices for computers, and electro-optical devices for weapons-targeting systems. Other examples of parts and equipment that may need to be cleaned with PFCs can be found in the SNAP regulation. The SNAP regulation also discusses characteristics of parts and equipment that may indicate the need for a PFC (unusually stringent particulate standards, highly complex geometric configurations, etc.) As with 141b, PFCs are not necessary for cleaning basic metal parts or most printed circuit boards, since many other substitutes are available.
A: No. The goal of the SNAP listing is simply to make sure that you've adequately explored other alternatives before selecting a PFC. This means contacting actual vendors or even testing parts with other cleaning substitutes. Although you are not required to fill out any special forms or report your findings to EPA, you must keep the results of your findings on file for future reference. If you want more information on perfluorocarbons and their restrictions, you should contact EPA directly.
A: Certain substitutes were received too late for the Agency to review prior to the final rule. Others are likely to face restrictions under SNAP, and EPA will propose the restrictions later this year in a separate rulemaking for notice and comment.
A: Dibromomethane is a component of a CFC-113/MCF substitute that was sold last year as an industrial cleaner. The concern with this chemical is that it has significant ozone-depleting potential--greater than methyl chloroform--yet it is not regulated under the Clean Air Act. At the same time, its toxicity--although poorly understood--is probably greater than that of methylene chloride. The SNAP program is likely to impose restrictions on use of this chemical until it gets added to the list of ozone-depleters and OSHA has adopted the necessary workplace standards.
A: These are chemicals that manufacturers are currently investigating for their cleaning properties. Their use in cleaning applications is relatively new, and EPA is still exploring what the chemicals' toxicity and exposure patterns are.
A: The SNAP regulation lists four of the VMSs as acceptable. Two more are listed as pending, since they have low company-set exposure limits that EPA plans to adopt as SNAP restrictions in the next round of SNAP determinations. Even though two of the VMSs are likely to face SNAP restrictions, EPA expects that users will be readily able to meet any SNAP conditions for use, since the VMSs that are subject to exposure standards are present in the cleaning formulations only in very small amounts.
A: HFCs are now being brought to market for commercial use and are already being tested in certain specialized applications. The HFC discussed in the SNAP table is still undergoing SNAP review, and it will also need to pass review under the Toxic Substances Control Act since it is a new chemical.
HFCs are of interest not just for precision and electronics cleaning, but also for other targeted applications such as film cleaning and as a carrier solvent.
In addition, since HFCs generally have much shorter lifetimes and global warming potential than PFCs, they are appealing prospective alternatives for cleaning applications where PFCs currently are the only viable substitutes.
A: HCFC-225 is a relatively new chemical. It is actually a blend of two isomers, HCFC-225ca and HCFC-225cb. Although both isomers have some ozone depletion potential, the ODPs are relatively small. In addition, the atmospheric lifetimes are short--approximately 1.6 years for the ca isomer and 5.1 years for the cb isomer.
The ca isomer has shown some adverse effects in toxicity tests, and it has a company-set exposure limit of 25 ppm. As a result, EPA plans to adopt the exposure limit as a condition for use in the next set of SNAP determinations. However, since HCFC-225 is sold as a blend of the ca isomer with the less toxic cb isomer, EPA expects that companies interested in this chemical will readily be able to meet the exposure limit for the ca isomer. Achieving the limit is also made more feasible by the fact that this chemical is of greatest interest for precision cleaning applications where high-performance cleaning equipment is the norm.
A: Yes. As of May 15, 1993, any product made with a Class I substance (which includes CFC-113 and MCF) has to be labeled. The final regulation appeared in the Federal Register on February 11, 1993 (58 FR 8136).
A: Yes, although for products made with HCFCs, the Agency has until January 1, 2015 to develop labeling requirements.
A: "Warning: Manufactured with [insert name of substance], a substance which harms public health and environment by destroying ozone in the upper atmosphere."
A: You can request it from the Stratospheric Ozone Protection Hotline. EPA also has a summary of the final regulation, which you can get from the Hotline as well.
A: EPA has written a series of manuals in cooperation with the Industry Cooperative on Ozone Layer Protection (ICOLP) that describe alternatives to cleaning with MCF and CFC-113. These manuals exist for:
A: You can request them from the Stratospheric Ozone Protection Hotline.
A: EPA has lists of vendors selling substitutes for metals cleaning, electronics cleaning, and precision cleaning. You can request these lists from the Stratospheric Ozone Protection Hotline.
A: We also have a list of trade names of products with MCF and CFC-113 in them. You can request that from the Hotline, too.
Last Updated: January 16, 1996