EPA inoda kuwedzera kurambidzwa kwemakemikari anouraya mumasherufu ezvitoro

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Mushure mekuferefeta kweCenter for Public Integrity pamusoro pekufa kwemethylene chloride kwemakumi emakore, US Environmental Protection Agency muna 2019 yakarambidza kutengeswa kwependi dzine chinhu ichi kune vatengi, uye hama dzevakabatwa nemhosva nevanotsigira kuchengetedzeka vari kuramba vachitanga chirongwa chekumanikidza veruzhinji. Environmental Protection Agency iri kutora matanho.
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Mubatanidzwa uyu uri kuda zvakawanda: vanoti vashandi havasi kudzivirirwa nemiganhu yakamanikana. Ruzhinji rwevanhu vanofa nekuda kwekusangana nemethylene chloride vanofa kubasa. Zvinhu zvinobvisa pendi hazvisi izvo zvega zvinhu zvaunogona kuwana.
Iye zvino Environmental Protection Agency iri kuronga kurambidza kushandiswa kwemethylene chloride kakawanda—mamwe mabasa achiri kushanda, asi mashoma zvikuru.
"Ndashamisika zvishoma, unoziva here?" Mukoma waBrian Wynn ane makore 31 okuberekwa, Drew, akafa muna 2017 achibvisa pendi mufiriji yekambani. Pakutanga Wynn akafunga kuti chiito cheEPA cha2019 chekurwisa vanobvisa pendi "ndicho chaizova kure kupfuura zvese zvataigona kuita—takasangana nechikwata chevarongi neCongress vakabhadharwa mari yekumisa vanhu vakaita sesu" vakaita sesu uye vakava nechokwadi chekuti purofiti yavo inouya pekutanga uye kuchengetedzeka.
Mutemo wakarongwa uyu waizorambidza kushandiswa kwemethylene chloride muzvigadzirwa zvese zvinotengeswa nevatengi uye "zvinoshandiswa zvakanyanya mumaindasitiri nemabhizimisi," sangano iri rakataura mumashoko aro svondo rapfuura.
Sangano rekuchengetedzwa kwezvakatipoteredza rakati rinotarisira kuti mutemo uyu utange kushanda muna Nyamavhuvhu 2024. Mitemo yehurumende inofanira kupfuura nenzira yakatarwa inopa veruzhinji mukana wekuchinja mhedzisiro yekupedzisira.
Kemikari iyi, inozivikanwawo semethylene chloride, inowanikwa mumasherufu ekutengesa muzvigadzirwa zvakaita seaerosol degreasers uye mabhurashi cleaners anoshandiswa mumapendi nependi. Inoshandiswa mumaglues ekutengeserana uye ma sealant. Vagadziri vanoishandisa kugadzira mamwe makemikari.
Sangano iri rinoti vanhu vanosvika makumi masere nevashanu vakafa nekukurumidzira kushandisa methylene chloride kubva muna 1980, kusanganisira vashandi vakadzidziswa kuchengetedzeka uye michina yekudzivirira.
Nhamba iyoyo inobva muongororo yakaitwa muna 2021 neOSHA neYunivhesiti yeCalifornia, San Francisco, iyo yakaverenga huwandu hwevanhu vakafa pari zvino zvichibva pahuwandu hwePublic Integrity hwekare. Nhamba iyi inenge isinganyanyi kukosha nekuti imwe yenzira dzinouraya vanhu nemethylene chloride ndeyekukonzera chirwere chemwoyo, icho kune mucherechedzi chinoita serufu runokonzerwa nezvikonzero zvechisikigo kunze kwekunge munhu achida kuita zvidzidzo zvechepfu.
Nate Bradford Jr. anoshanda kuchengetedza mararamiro ekurima evatema. Mwaka uno weHeist unoratidza kurwira kwake kurarama achipesana nenhoroondo yehurumende yekusarura varimi vatema. Nyorera kuti uwane ruzivo rwekuseri kwezviitiko uye zviziviso kana zvikamu zvitsva zvaburitswa.
Sekureva kweEnvironmental Protection Agency (EPA), kemikari iyi yakakonzerawo "migumisiro yakaipa uye yenguva refu yehutano" yakaita sekenza kuvanhu vanobatwa nekemikari iyi, asi kwete padanho rekuuraya.
"Njodzi dzemethylene chloride dzinozivikanwa zvikuru," sangano rakanyora mumutemo wakarongwa.
Ongororo yePublic Integrity yakaitwa muna 2015 yakawana kuti mikana yekupindira mukuponesa hupenyu yakanga yamborasika kakawanda kubvira kuma1970. Zvisinei, kufa kwakawanda kwakaitika mushure mekunge Environmental Protection Agency yatanga kupa mutemo uyu muna Ndira 2017, munguva pfupi yapfuura hurumende yaObama, uye hurumende yaTrump yakanonotsa chirongwa ichi kusvika chamanikidzwa kuita chimwe chinhu.
Liz Hitchcock, director weSafer Chemicals for Healthier Families, chirongwa chehurumende chekuchengetedza ramangwana risina chepfu, ari pakati peavo vakashanda kwemakore kuti vagumise kuparadzwa kwevanhu kunokonzerwa nemethylene chloride. Vakagamuchira kuziviswa kwekurambidzwa uku se "zuva rinokosha".
"Zvakare, vanhu vari kufa nekushandisa mishonga iyi," akadaro. "Vanhu pavanoshandisa mishonga iyi, vanhu vari pedyo vanorwara uye vanhu vanorwara nezvirwere zvisingaperi nekuda kwekushandisa mishonga iyi. Tinoda kuva nechokwadi chekuti tadzivirira vanhu vakawanda sezvinobvira."
Asi akafara kunzwa kuti Environmental Protection Agency inotenda kuti mutemo uyu hauzopedziswa kwemamwe mwedzi gumi nemishanu.
Lauren Atkins, ane mwanakomana wake Joshua ane makore 31 okuberekwa akafa muna 2018 mushure mekushandisa pendi stripper kupenda bhasikoro rake reBMX, ari kunetseka kuti kushandiswa kwaro hakuzorambidzwe. Akarwadziwa zvikuru paakaona maburi aya mukushambadzira.
"Ndakapotsa ndabuda muzvigaro zvangu kusvika ndapedza bhuku rese, uye ndakanzwa kusuruvara zvikuru," akadaro Atkins. Mushure mekufa kwemwanakomana wake, chinangwa chake chaive chekubvisa methylene chloride mumusika kuitira kuti isauraye mumwe munhu. "Ndakarasikirwa nemwanakomana wangu, asi mwanakomana wangu akarasikirwa nezvose."
Sangano reEnvironmental Protection Agency rakati kushandiswa kwekemikari iyi mukugadzira mishonga hakufukidzwe neToxic Substances Control Act, saka hazvirambidzwe nemitemo yakarongwa. Sangano iri rakati vashandi vanoramba vachishandisa methylene chloride mune zvimwe zviitiko zvinotenderwa pasi pechirongwa ichi vachadzivirirwa ne "Occupational Chemical Control Program ine Strict Exposure Limits" itsva. Methylene chloride inogona kuuraya kana utsi hukaungana munzvimbo dzakavharirwa.
Mamwe mashandisirwo makuru acharamba ari mukati mezvibvumirano izvi, kusanganisira basa "rakakosha" kana "rakakosha-kuchengetedza" nemauto, NASA, Federal Aviation Administration, nevanoita mabasa avo; kushandiswa mumarabhoritari; US nemakambani anoishandisa se reagent kana kuigadzira nekuda kwezvinangwa zvinotenderwa, yakadaro Environmental Protection Agency.
Kunze kwemasangano ehurumende, methylene chloride haichawanikwe muzvishandiso zvekupenda. Chigadzirwa ichi ndicho chikonzero chinowanzo kukonzera rufu pakati pevashandi vari kugadzirisa dzimba dzekugezera dzekare mudzimba nemafurati.
Uye methylene chloride haizotenderwi kushandiswa mukubvisa mafuta mumaindasitiri nemaindasitiri, kubvisa namatidza, kupedzisa machira, mafuta emvura, manamatidza ezvekudya uye mamwe mashandisirwo akawanda.
"Parizvino, vanhu vanosvika 845,000 vari kusangana nemethylene chloride kubasa," yakadaro Environmental Protection Agency mumashoko ayo. "Pasi pechirongwa cheEPA, vashandi vasingasviki 10,000 vanotarisirwa kuramba vachishandisa methylene chloride uye kupinda muzvirongwa zvekudzivirira makemikari munzvimbo yebasa kubva kunjodzi dzisina kurongeka."
Dr. Robert Harrison, purofesa wekiriniki wezvekurapa nezvemabasa nezvakatipoteredza paYunivhesiti yeCalifornia, San Francisco, anga achishanda pamethylene chloride kwemakore angangoita gumi. Akati Environmental Protection Agency iri kutevedzera chirongwa chekuedza kuenzanisa kuchengetedzeka nematambudziko ehupfumi nekuchengetedzwa kwenyika, uye akaona kuti kurambidzwa uku kwaikurudzira.
"Ndinofunga kuti uku kukunda. Uku kukunda kwevashandi," akadaro Harrison, uyo akabatanidzwa muchidzidzo chakaitwa muna 2021 pamusoro perufu runokonzerwa nemakemikari. "Izvi zvinopa muenzaniso wakanaka kwazvo wekuita sarudzo uye kugadza misimboti yakavakirwa pasainzi yakajeka ... Tinofanira kubvisa makemikari aya ane chepfu tichisarudza dzimwe nzira dzakachengeteka dzinokuvadza kupfuura kubatsira."
Ungafunga kuti makemikari haafanirwe kutengeswa pamusika kunze kwekunge aonekwa kuti akachengeteka. Asi handizvo mashandiro anoita hurongwa hwekuAmerica.
Kunetseka nezvekuchengetedzwa kwemakemikari kwakaita kuti Congress ipasise Mutemo weToxic Substances Control Act muna 1976, uyo waiisa zvimwe zvinodiwa pamakemikari. Asi matanho aya anoonekwa zvakanyanya seasina simba, zvichisiya Environmental Protection Agency isina simba rekuita ongororo dzakakura dzekuchengetedzwa. Federal Inventory, yakaburitswa muna 1982, ine makemikari angangoita 62,000, uye nhamba iyoyo iri kuramba ichikura.
Muna 2016, Congress yakachinja TSCA kuti ipe mvumo kuEnvironmental Protection Agency kuti iite ongororo yengozi dzemakemikari. Methylene chloride ndiyo yaive dambudziko rekutanga rakagadziriswa nesangano iri.
"Ndosaka tiri kuedza kugadzirisa TSCA," akadaro Hitchcock, uyo akagovana nemahofisi eparamende kuferefeta kuvimbika kwevanhu munguva iyoyo semienzaniso mikuru yekusaita chimwe chinhu kunouraya.
Danho rinotevera mukurambidzwa kwemethylene chloride richava mazuva makumi matanhatu ekutaura kwevanhu. Vanhu vachakwanisa kutaura zvavanoda pane zvirongwa zveEPA, uye vatsigiri vekuchengetedza vari kuungana pamusoro penyaya iyi.
"Iri idanho guru rekufambira mberi kwehutano hweveruzhinji, asi harisi risina matambudziko aro," akadaro Hitchcock. Aida kuona mashoko "achikumbira Environmental Protection Agency kuti itore mitemo yakasimba kwazvo."
Harrison akambotaura kuti mitemo yemakemikari muUnited States yakaramba ichienderera mberi zvishoma nezvishoma kusvika chando chatanga kuipfuura. Asi anoona kufambira mberi kubva pakagadziriswa TSCA muna 2016. Mutemo mutsva wemethylene chloride unomupa tariro.
"Kune mamwe makemikari akawanda anogona kutevera chisarudzo cheUS pamethylene chloride," akadaro.
Public Integrity haina mubhadharo uye haigamuchire kushambadza saka nhau dzedu dzekutsvaga ruzivo dzinogona kuva nemigumisiro yakakura pakugadzirisa kusarongeka muAmerica. Basa redu rinogoneka nekuda kwerutsigiro rwevanhu vakaita semi.
Jamie Smith Hopkins mupepeti uye mutori wenhau mukuru weCenter for Public Integrity. Mabasa ake anosanganisira mamwe mabasa aJamie Smith Hopkins.
The Center for Public Integrity isangano revatori venhau risingatsvage purofiti rinotarisa pakusarongeka muAmerica. Hatibvumiri kushambadzira kana kubhadharisa vanhu kuti vaverenge basa redu.
       Chinyorwa chinoyakatanga kuoneka muNzvimbo yeKuvimbika Kweveruzhinjiuye yakaburitswazve pasi peCreative Commons rezinesi.


Nguva yekutumira: Mbudzi-09-2023