Environmental Group Seeks Ban on a Common Chemical

WASHINGTON — An environmental group called on the Bush Administration Monday to participate in an international effort to phase out a commonly used chemical that is depleting the ozone layer.

The Natural Resources Defense Council also urged consumers to avoid buying 141 products, ranging from artists’ varnishes to hornet-killing sprays, that contain the chemical 1,1,1-trichloroethane.

Chlorofluorocarbons, or CFCs, have been singled out as the most potent ozone-destroying substances. But the council said 1,1,1, as it is known for short, is responsible for a large share of ozone depletion because it is produced in such large quantities.

About 724 million pounds of 1,1,1 were produced in 1988 by DOW Chemical, PPG Industries, and Vulcan Chemical, according to the NRDC.

The group said 90% of the chemical is used in industrial solvents. Consumer goods that contain it include Scotchgard fabric protectors manufactured by Minnesota Mining & Manufacturing of St. Paul, Minn.

“For most applications, there are alternative products on the market that serve the same purpose” both in industry and individual homes, the NRDC said.

Representatives of 70 nations will open a 10-day meeting in London on Wednesday to consider revisions to an international agreement that freezes production and consumption of CFCs at their 1986 level. The pact, known as the Montreal Protocol, also calls for a 50% reduction in CFCs by 1998.

“The most difficult decisions remaining relate to 1,1,1-trichloroethane,” said David D. Doniger, director of the NRDC’s ozone protection project. He said options under consideration range from a 25% rollback to a complete phase-out in the next 10 years.