Paint Removers

Short answer: Methylene chloride (dichloromethane) was long the main ingredient in fast-acting paint strippers. It is a small, very volatile molecule that soaks into a paint film, swells and softens it, and loosens it from the surface so it can be scraped off.

It's also acutely dangerous. Its vapor builds up quickly in enclosed spaces, and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has documented dozens of deaths, many of them workers refinishing bathtubs. EPA put the figure at at least 88 people since 1980. EPA banned methylene chloride in consumer paint and coating removers from November 22, 2019. On April 30, 2024, it finalized a ban on all consumer uses and most industrial and commercial uses under the Toxic Substances Control Act, with consumer uses phased out within about a year and most commercial uses within two years. EPA also lists liver harm and several cancers among the risks. Acetone is a different kind of solvent. It evaporates very fast and dissolves some finishes, such as lacquers, many adhesives and nail polish, but it doesn't lift tough cured coatings as well, which is why it's often mixed with other solvents. It's highly flammable. The footage shows stripper being brushed onto painted metal and the paint bubbling off.