Sherwin-Williams Puts Consumers’ Lives First, Pulls Deadly Paint Strippers

Following Lowe’s recent announcement, the paint company is eliminating two toxic chemicals from its stores.

Just weeks after Lowe’s made the commitment to remove dangerous paint strippers from its shelves, Sherwin-Williams, the country’s largest supplier of paint and paint supplies, has announced it is following suit and will no longer sell products containing methylene chloride or N-methylpyrrolidone (NMP).

“Sherwin-Williams just did the right thing by announcing it will ban these deadly paint strippers,” says Sujatha Bergen, a policy analyst at NRDC, which, together with Safer Chemicals, Healthy Families, sent a letter to the paint company urging it to ban the toxic products.

The decision marks yet another significant public health win in the face of federal inaction on the issue. In 2017, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency delayed finalizing a ban of both NMP and methylene chloride, which has been linked to multiple deaths. Its fumes can cause liver toxicity, cancer, and harm to the nervous system—they can even trigger fatal heart attacks.

“The EPA is promoting the chemical industry agenda, leaving citizens to protect themselves from dangerous products that don’t belong on any store shelf, anywhere in America,” Bergen says. “We can’t wait for Scott Pruitt’s chemical-friendly EPA to act—it’s time for other retailers, like the Home Depot, to protect their customers as well.”