Bill > H4415

This bill requires dry cleaning businesses to disclose the specific chemical solvents they use to clean clothes, with the goal of informing customers, neighbors, and employees about potential risks. By January 1, 2017, dry cleaners using chemical solvents (defined as any chemical other than water used for cleaning, including common ones like perchloroethylene and n-propyl bromide) must post a sign detailing the dry cleaner's name, the commercial brand name of the primary solvent, its chemical name, and the manufacturer. This sign must also include a statement directing people to the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) website and Material Safety Data Sheets for more information. Additionally, the sign will feature color-coded warnings for different solvent categories: red for "Higher Hazard Substances" like perchloroethylene and n-PB, orange for siloxane, and yellow for less hazardous but still potentially risky solvents like hydrocarbons. Businesses that primarily use water-based cleaning, known as "professional wet cleaning," are exempt from these requirements. The bill also mandates that the DEP provide a sign template and comprehensive safety information for each solvent category on its website, and it requires the DEP to adopt regulations to implement these provisions within a year of the bill's enactment.