EPA Finds Workers at Risk from Chemical Used to Make Plastics

An industrial chemical used to make petrochemicals, adhesives, plastics, and other products poses unreasonable risks of harming workers, and in two cases the environment, the EPA has preliminarily concluded.

The chemical, 1,2-dichloroethane, was not too risky for consumers or the general population, the Environmental Protection Agency said in a draft risk evaluation released Friday.

Occidental Petroleum Corp., Olin Corp., and Westlake Chemical Corp. were among the companies making or importing between 30 billion and 40 billion pounds of the chemical in 2019, the most recent year for which the EPA has released national production data.

If finalized, ...