Protecting our ozone layer from methylene chloride

4.7.2017

Question for written answer E-004507-17
to the Commission
Rule 130
Sylvie Goddyn (ENF)

The ozone layer has been gradually recovering since the ban introduced by the Montreal Protocol in 1987 on chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), gases used in refrigerators and aerosols. The ozone layer protects the earth from ultraviolet radiation, which is dangerous for humans, notably as a cause of skin cancer.

Now, however, the ozone layer is threatened by another chemical substance which is quickly increasing in the stratosphere: methylene chloride or dichloromethane.

Methylene chloride, used as a solvent in paints and varnishes and as an industrial degreaser, is slowing down the recovery of the ozone layer. According to a study published on 30 June 2016 in the journal Science, the complete recovery of the ozone layer, initially predicted for around 2065, is now not expected until 2095.

1. Does the Commission know of products which could be used as alternatives to methylene chloride?

2. Does it intend to open discussions as soon as possible with all its partners, Member States and non-EU countries, with the aim of implementing a new protocol, similar to that of 1987, to ban methylene chloride?