A Practical Guide for Academic Labs to Navigate EPA’s 2024 Methylene Chloride (Dichloromethane) Regulation

Abstract Methylene chloride is a widely used lab solvent for extractions, purifications, and synthesis due to its polarity, aprotic nature, and low boiling point. In April 2024, EPA issued the final risk management rule for methylene chloride, prohibiting nearly all uses of methylene chloride, with one of the exceptions being use as a lab chemical. This ruling greatly impacts higher education academic and research labs, where methylene chloride is widely used, requiring stricter workplace protections and adding administrative, operational, and financial challenges. In response to the ruling, resources were developed to assist with these additional challenges. This paper summarizes the Final Risk Management Rule for Methylene Chloride and works through a researcher and safety professional perspective on opportunities to eliminate, substitute, or work with methylene chloride using the hierarchy of controls as a framework for risk assessment and risk mitigation.