TCE: use-specific phaseouts and partial postponement
U.S. EPA trichloroethylene requirements have use-specific phaseouts and selective postponements. A May 18, 2026 notice postponed conditions on section 6(g) exemptions during judicial review; separate extensions address specified nuclear-fuel processing and wastewater disposal.
The TCE rule is not wholly stayed. Applicable deadlines depend on the specific use or exemption; the court docket and exemption-specific cessation dates need further review.
- Legal status
- Final rule with selective postponement and interim-final extensions
- Source check
- Sep 17, 2026
- Topic
- Trichloroethylene
- Technical review
- Jiaxi · 2026-09-23
What changed
Previous requirement
2024 final rule set prohibitions and interim WCPP requirements; initial effective date January 16, 2025 was affected by court and agency delays.
New requirement or current position
May 2026 notice postpones section 6(g) conditions. September 2025 interim rule extends nuclear-fuel processing-aid and specified wastewater-disposal dates.
Who it affects
- Degreasing
- Battery separators
- Nuclear fuel
- Aviation
- Chemical manufacturing
- Environmental laboratories
Dates and milestones
Commencement and compliance dates can differ. Read the conditions beside each date, including any stay or local adoption requirement.
- Announcement or publication
- May 5, 2026
- Recorded effective date
- May 18, 2026
Most industrial/commercial uses under original rule
Do not apply to listed extensions/exemptions.
Specified processing-aid wastewater disposal
Extended by interim final rule effective September 15, 2025.
TCE processing aid in nuclear-fuel manufacture
Extended prohibition date.
Conditions on section 6(g) exempt uses
Postponed until conclusion of judicial review.
Selected exposure values
These values need the scope, limit type and averaging period shown below. A proposed or advisory value is not a binding limit.
Trichloroethylene
0.2 ppm| Averaging period | 8-hour TWA |
|---|---|
| Limit type | Interim TSCA ECEL |
| Scope | Specified continuing uses; section 6(g) conditions postponed |
Trichloroethylene
0.1 ppm| Averaging period | 8-hour TWA |
|---|---|
| Limit type | Interim TSCA ECEL action level |
| Scope | Specified continuing uses; section 6(g) conditions postponed |
What this could mean for your IH program
Advisory interpretation: Assign a condition-of-use category before exposing any deadline or limit in a facility workflow. A single TCE status badge is inadequate.
Confirm applicability with a qualified practitioner before changing your program.
Questions and qualifications
- The court docket has not been independently verified. The relevant postponement notice is 2026-08750; the EPA page links to unrelated notice 2026-08693. Exemption-specific cessation dates require separate legal review.
Source evidence
- Trichloroethylene: TSCA final rule
EPA / Federal Register · 89 FR 102568; IV.C; 751.307
Rule phases out TCE; interim ECEL 0.2 ppm and action level 0.1 ppm as 8-hour TWAs apply to specified continuing uses, subject to later postponements.
- Risk Management for Trichloroethylene
EPA · Managing Risks; updated May 5, 2026
Describes the section 6(g) postponement and nuclear-fuel and wastewater extensions. The linked postponement notice is incorrect; Federal Register notice 2026-08750 provides the relevant legal text.
- TCE: extension of postponement for certain provisions
EPA / Federal Register · 91 FR 24133; Dates; I Background; II Action
As of May 18, 2026, conditions imposed on TSCA section 6(g) exemptions postponed until judicial review ends. March 28, 2025 court action lifted stay for other portions; this is not a blanket stay.
- TCE: compliance date extension
EPA / Federal Register · 90 FR 44772; Summary, Dates, amendments
Published September 17, 2025 but effective September 15, 2025; nuclear fuel processing-aid prohibition September 15, 2028; specified wastewater disposal prohibition December 18, 2026.
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