Bathtub Refinishers Deaths Linked to Stripping Chemical: CDC

More than a dozen workers have died after exposure to a chemical that is used to refinish bathtubs, federal health officials are warning. 

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued a warning that methylene chloride, a paint-stripping chemical has been linked to at least 13 deaths since 2000.

All of the deaths occurred among bathtub refinishers who used the chemical as a paint stripper. The report was published in the CDC’s February 24 Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR).

Methylene Chloride is used in both industrial processes as a degreaser, process catalyst and paint remover, and is available as an over-the-counter paint and finish stripper.

The U.S. National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) began investigating the deaths linked to its use after the death of a Michigan bathtub refinisher in 2010. In total, three deaths in Michigan were linked to methylene chloride exposure. Ten other similar deaths have occurred in nine different states.

The deaths occurred in residential bathrooms that lacked proper ventilation. All but one of the victims were male and they either failed to use proper respiratory equipment or what they used was not protective against methylene chloride fumes.

Six of the products used were marketed for use in the aircraft industry and none were designed for bathtub refinishing, according to the CDC. The deaths from 2000 to 2010 are noteworthy because there were only two such deaths reported from 1976 to 1999.

Symptoms of methylene chloride exposure can include headache, nausea, and dizziness at low levels. At higher levels it can cause heart arrhythmias, angina and electrocardiographic changes, the CDC reports. The CDC says that it is likely that the victims lost consciousness and died from respiratory depression.

The CDC is warning workers not to use methylene chloride for bathtub refinishing, saying that there is likely no way to use it safely in a small, enclosed bathroom. The CDC instead recommends sanding or the use of other chemicals designed and marketed for that purpose, but warns that other chemicals may have their own hazards and should only be used with full knowledge of the proper safety procedures involved.