From Clean Water Action (http://www.cleanwateraction.org/):
No one should have to risk their life to earn a paycheck.
But the EPA refuses to ban a deadly chemical in paint strippers for use on the job.
When fumes from methylene chloride-based paint strippers build up, the chemical can cause asphyxiation and heart attacks. Families have been losing loved ones this way since 1947 when four men died using the chemical.
Go to https://cleanwater.salsalabs.org/tell-epa-ban-toxic-paint-strippers/index.html to tell EPA Administrator Michael Regan: Protect all of us by banning deadly paint strippers.
Wendy Hartley lost her son Kevin this way. She says, “He was only 21 years old and excited about embarking in a new career refinishing bathtubs. The day he died was a normal day for him: he was refinishing a bathtub with a product called White Lightning Low Odor Stripper, one of dozens of paint stripping products that use methylene chloride. He was careful: he wore a respirator mask to filter out toxic chemicals, but that wasn’t enough. This chemical is so dangerous that it overcame the mask and Kevin succumbed to the fumes.”
Kevin collapsed and went into cardiac arrest before he was found unresponsive.
After activists convinced a dozen retailers, including Lowe’s and The Home Depot, to voluntarily stop selling paint strippers with this chemical, EPA finally banned it from consumer products. But they left the chemical industry a loophole. It can still be used in the workplace—where it can be just as deadly as it can be at home. In fact, a recent study found that more workers have died using these products than consumers.
Sign the Petition: Tell EPA Administrator Michael Regan that no one should die like Kevin did.
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