MEP welcomes toxic paint stripper ban

10.37.00am UTC (GMT +0000) Tue 19th Feb 2008

After many years of campaigning Graham Watson MEP for the South West of England and Gibraltar has welcomed recent European Commission proposals for a partial ban on paint strippers containing dicholoromethane, to the general public.

Graham Watson said,

"I welcome these plans to protect consumers across Europe from this dangerous chemical. It is toxic to the central nervous system and that has been linked to a number of accidents and fatalities. I have been campaigning for this for many years and the Commission's proposals are a sensible move to safeguard people's health. Alternatives are available, as developed by local company Eco Solutions, so we do not need to use dicholoromethane'.

Dicholoromethane is a suspected carcinogen, and toxic chemical found in many industrial products including paint strippers. The European Commission examined the risk in paint strippers in several studies and concluded that the partial ban is necessary to reduce risks to consumers across the EU. Member states will continue to be able to permit the use of paint stripper containing the chemical by licensed professionals who have received appropriate training.