CFMEU OHS ALERT: METHYLENE CHLORIDE – TENSORGRIP X40 SPRAY ADHESIVE

A recent find by a diligent CFMEU HSR of a hazardous aerosol spray adhesive has highlighted how important it is to thoroughly read and interpret Safety Data Sheets when new product come into your workplace.

TensorGrip X40 contains between 40%-60% Methylene Chloride, a dangerous chemical known to cause liver, lung, breast, brain, blood and nervous system cancers.

Methylene chloride is used for aerosol degreasing and paint and coating brush cleaners and in commercial applications such as adhesives and sealants.

If you find this product on your worksite, DO NOT USE IT. Use your HSR powers to raise this hazard with your employer and seek that an alternative, safer product be used.

In the US since 1980, at least 88 people have died from acute exposure to methylene chloride, in some cases, while fully trained and equipped with personal protective equipment. While US EPA banned one consumer use of methylene chloride in 2019, it has remained widespread and continues to pose significant and sometimes fatal danger to workers.

US EPA’s final risk management rule requires companies to rapidly phase down manufacturing, processing and distribution of methylene chloride for all consumer uses and most industrial and commercial uses, including its use in home renovations. Consumer use will be phased out within a year, and most industrial and commercial uses will be prohibited within two years.

Read more: CFMEU OHS ALERT - Adhesive spray methylene chloride

US Ban on Methylene Chloride protecting workers from fatal exposure

Share Tweet

RELATED

VISA SCHEME REPORT - MEAT PROCESSOR WORKERS FACE UNSAFE CONDITIONS
A report from RMIT on the experiences of meat processing workers in Australia under the PALM (Pacific Australian Labour Mobility) scheme shows that the $75B industry is thriving “on the backs of...
Read More
SUPAGAS $50K FINE FOR GAS CYLINDER TRUCK ROLLOVER
Supagas Pty Ltd, a national gas distributer, has been fined $50,000 after one of their gas cylinder delivery trucks lost a wheel and crashed on a major Melbourne tollway in 2019. The...
Read More
$270K FINE FOR CONSTRUCTION FALL FATALITY
Minoan Constructions Pty Ltd has been fined $270,000 after a member of their own family fell to his death on their worksite in 2022. The 69-year-old man was helping in the family-operated...
Read More