January 7, 2004—A decline in both the production and use of ethylene glycol ethers and their acetates has prompted the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) to terminate rulemaking for the substances. Based on evidence collected by the agency and comments received after reopening the record in 2002, OSHA concluded that the rule is no longer appropriate, and that the agency can focus its resources on regulatory efforts that will have a greater impact on workplace safety and health.
The ethylene glycol ethers and their acetates were commonly used in the automobile refinishing industry, as well as in construction paints, surface coatings, printing inks, and the semiconductor industry. When OSHA proposed the reduction of permissible exposure limits for the four substances in 1993, the agency estimated that approximately 46,000 workers were potentially exposed to the ethers and the associated risks of adverse reproductive and developmental health effects.
