Methylene Chloride (Dichloromethane)CAS 75-09-2
Paint stripper solvent — EPA banned for consumer use 2024 after worker deaths, IARC Group 2A.
Toxic Chemical Databases
Substance-specific listings — these flags are for Methylene Chloride alone, not for the broader family.
Chemical Type
Chlorinated Solvent — Group 2A Carcinogen
Chemical Description
Methylene chloride is a powerful chlorinated solvent used historically as the active ingredient in paint strippers, adhesive removers, and degreasers. It causes rapid carboxyhemoglobinemia at high concentrations — the body metabolizes methylene chloride to carbon monoxide, which binds hemoglobin. Multiple deaths in bathtub-refinishing operations led EPA to finalize a consumer-use ban under TSCA in 2024. IARC classifies it as Group 2A (probably carcinogenic). Skin absorption is extremely rapid — dermal exposure can deliver toxic doses in minutes.
Biological Activity
Severity scores specific to this substance, NOT the parent family average. Differences between siblings are real and meaningful.
Top Health Consequences
- Acute carboxyhemoglobinemia — death documented at high concentrations
- IARC Group 2A probable carcinogen
- Cardiac arrhythmia from CO formation
- CNS depression and confusion at acute exposure
- EPA consumer-use ban finalized 2024 under TSCA
Pathways of Exposure
- Inhalation during paint stripping in confined or unventilated spaces
- Rapid dermal absorption (toxic doses in minutes from skin contact)
- Off-gassing during application and cure window
Building Materials with Methylene Chloride
Listed alphabetically — product categories where this specific substance appears.
Aerosol Degreasers
Furniture Refinishing Products
Industrial Adhesive Removers
Paint & Varnish Strippers (Pre-2024 Consumer)
How We Keep Methylene Chloride Out of a House
Methylene Chloride is one of the substances our screening is built to catch. A healthy home is won in the specification and the submittal review, long before anyone opens a bucket on site.
If you want a house specified this way from the start, or an existing house assessed for what is already in it, that is the work we do. Earth Bound Homes builds in San Jose, Los Gatos, Santa Clara County and across the San Francisco Bay Area.