Substitutes in Precision Cleaning
Substitutes are reviewed on the basis of ozone depletion potential, global warming potential, toxicity, flammability, exposure potential. Lists of acceptableThis designation means that a substitute may be used, without restriction, to replace the relevant ODS within the end-use specified. For example, HCFC-22 is an acceptable substitute for R-502 in industrial process refrigeration. Note that all SNAP determinations apply to the use of a specific product as a substitute for a specific ODS in a specific end-use. and UnacceptableThis designation means that it is illegal to use a product as a substitute for an ODS in a specific end-use. For example, HCFC-141b is an unacceptable substitute for CFC-11 in building chillers. Note that all SNAP determinations apply to the use of a specific product as a substitute for a specific ODS in a specific end-use. substitutes are updated several times each year. The list of acceptable substitutes are shown below.
Note: SNAP-related information published in the Federal Register takes precedence over all information on this page.
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| Substitute | Trade Name(s) | ODPA number that refers to the amount of ozone depletion caused by a substance. The ODP is the ratio of the impact on ozone of a chemical compared to the impact of a similar mass of CFC-11. Thus, the ODP of CFC-11 is defined to be 1.0. Other CFCs and HCFCs have ODPs that range from 0.01 to 1.0. The halons have ODPs ranging up to 10. Carbon tetrachloride has an ODP of 1.2, and methyl chloroform's ODP is 0.11. HFCs have zero ODP because they do not contain chlorine. A table of all ozone-depleting substances (http://www.epa.gov/ozone/science/ods/index.html) shows their ODPs, GWPs, and CAS numbers. | GWPThe index used to translate the level of emissions of various gases into a common measure in order to compare the relative radiative forcing of different gases without directly calculating the changes in atmospheric concentrations. GWPs are calculated as the ratio of the radiative forcing that would result from the emissions of one kilogram of a greenhouse gas to that from the emission of one kilogram of carbon dioxide over a period of time (usually 100 years). Gases involved in complex atmospheric chemical processes have not been assigned GWPs. See lifetime. | Flammable | SNAP Listing Date | Listing Status | Further Information |
| Aqueous cleaners | 0 | N/A | no | March 18, 1994 | Acceptable | EPA is planning to issue effluent guidelines for this industry under the Clean Water Act. | |
| Chlorobromomethane | 0.07 to 0.15 | N/A | no | April 28, 1999 (pdf) (236 KB) | Unacceptable | Alternatives exist with lower or zero ODP. | |
| Dibromomethane | 0.17 | N/A | no | June 13, 1995 (pdf) (223 KB) | Unacceptable | Alternatives exist with lower or zero ODP. | |
| HCFO-1233yd(Z) | 0.00003 | <1 | no | January 20, 2022 (pdf) (375 KB) | Acceptable | ||
| HCFC-123 | 0.02 | 77 | no | August 26, 1994 | Acceptable | Has an acceptable exposure limit (AEL) of 30 ppm. | |
| HCFC-141b and its blends | N/A | N/A | N/A | October 16, 1996 | Unacceptable | Alternatives exist with lower or zero ODP. | |
| HCFC-225ca | 0.025 | 122 | no | June 13, 1995 (pdf) (223 KB) | Acceptable with Use Conditions: Subject to the company-set exposure limit of 25 ppm for the -ca isomer. | HCFC-225ca/cb is offered as an isomeric blend. The company-set workplace standard for the cb-isomer is higher--250ppm. The use of the less toxic cb-isomer in the blend suggests that the 25 ppm standard for the ca-isomer can be readily met. | |
| HCFC-225cb | 0.033 | 595 | no | June 13, 1995 (pdf) (223 KB) | Acceptable with Use Conditions: Subject to the company-set exposure limit of 25 ppm for the -ca isomer. | HCFC-225ca/cb is offered as an isomeric blend. The company-set workplace standard for the cb-isomer is higher--250ppm. The use of the less toxic cb-isomer in the blend suggests that the 25 ppm standard for the ca-isomer can be readily met. | |
| Heptafluorocyclopentane | 0 | 250 | no | December 18, 2000 (pdf) (257 KB) | Acceptable | EPA expects users to adhere to an exposure limit of 123 ppm over an eight-hour time-weighted average, with a ceiling of 500 ppm. | |
| HFC-365mfc | 0 | 794 | yes | December 18, 2000 (pdf) (257 KB) | Acceptable | ||
| HFC-4310mee | 0 | 1,640 | no | October 16, 1996; June 8, 1999 (pdf) (142 KB) |
Acceptable with Use Conditions: Subject to a 200 ppm time-weighted average workplace exposure standard and 400 ppm workplace exposure ceiling. | ||
| HFE-347pcf2 | 0 | 580 | no | August 10, 2012 | Acceptable | CAS Reg. No. is 406-78-0. The manufacturer recommends an acceptable exposure limit of 50 ppm (8-hr TWA) for this substitute. EPA recommends a ceiling limit (maximum concentration) of 150 ppm for HFE-347pcf2. Observe recommendations in the manufacturer’s MSDS and guidance for using this substitute, particularly with respect to proper ventilation and other industrial hygiene practices. | |
| HFE-347mcc3 (heptafluoropropyl methyl ether) | Novec™ 7000 Engineered Fluid (HFE-7000) | 0 | 575 | no | August 21, 2003 (pdf) (160 KB) | Acceptable | EPA expects that the workplace environmental exposure will not exceed the workplace environmental exposure limit of 75 ppm and that users will observe the manufacturer's recommendations in MSDSs. |
| HFE-449s1 (methoxynonafluorobutane, iso and normal) | Novec™ 7100 Engineered Fluid (HFE-7100) | 0 | 297 | no | September 5, 1996; December 18, 2000 (pdf) (257 KB) |
Acceptable | |
| HFE-569sf2 (ethoxynonafluorobutane, iso and normal) | Novec™ 7200 Engineered Fluid (HFE-7200) | 0 | 59 | no | December 6, 1999 (pdf) (225 KB); December 18, 2000 (pdf) (257 KB) |
Acceptable | The Agency expects that any exposures will not exceed any acceptable exposure limits set by any voluntary consensus standards organization, including the American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists' (ACGIH) threshold limit values (TLVs) or the American Industrial Hygiene Association's (AIHA) workplace environmental exposure limits (WEELs). |
| Methylene chloride | 0 | 8.7 | no | March 18, 1994 | Acceptable | OSHA and RCRA standards must be met. EPA issued Maximum Achievable Control Technology requirements under the Clean Air Act for vapor degreasing in November 1994. | |
| Monochlorotoluenes and benzotrifluorides | N/A | N/A | N/A | May 22, 1996 | Acceptable with Use Conditions: Subject to a 50 ppm workplace standard for monochlorotoluenes and a 100 ppm standard for benzotrifluoride. | The workplace standard for monochlorotoluenes is based on an OSHA PEL of 50 ppm for orthochlorotoluene. The workplace standard for benzotrifluoride is based on the company-set acceptable exposure limit. | |
| n-propyl bromide (nPB) | 0.0049 | 1.57 | no | May 30, 2007 (pdf) (266 KB) | Acceptable | CAS Reg. No. is 106-94-5. EPA recommends the use of personal protective equipment, including chemical goggles, flexible laminate protective gloves and chemical-resistant clothing; EPA expects that all users of nPB would comply with any final Permissible Exposure Limit that the Occupational Safety and Health Administration issues in the future under 42 U.S.C. 7610(a). | |
| Perchloroethylene | 0.005 | N/A | no | March 18, 1994 | Acceptable | OSHA and RCRA standards must be met. EPA issued Maximum Achievable Control Technology requirements under the Clean Air Act for vapor degreasing in November 1994. | |
| Perfluorobutyl Iodide (PFBI) | <0.005 | <5 | no | October 4, 2011 (pdf) (200 KB) | Acceptable | CAS Reg. No. is 423-39-2; EPA recommends an acceptable exposure limit of 375ppm (8-hour time-weighted average) for PFBI; Observe recommendations in the manufacturer’s MSDS and guidance for using this substitute, particularly with respect to disposal. Prevent the solvent from entering waterways; PFBI is currently defined as a volatile organic compound (VOC) under CAA regulations (see 40 CFR 51.100(s)). | |
| Perfluorocarbons (C5F12, C6F12, C6F14, C7F16, C8F18, C5F11NO, C6F13NO, C7F15NO, and C8F16) | 0 | N/A | N/A | October 16, 1996 | Acceptable with Narrowed Use Limits: Acceptable for high-performance, precision-engineered applications only where reasonable efforts have been made to ascertain that other alternatives are not technically feasible due to performance or safety requirements. | The principal environmental characteristic of concern for PFCs is that they have long atmospheric lifetimes and high global warming potentials. Although actual contributions to global warming depend upon the quantities of PFCs emitted, the effects are for practical purposes irreversible. Users must observe this limitation on PFC acceptability by conducting a reasonable evaluation of other substitutes to determine that PFC use is necessary to meet performance or safety requirements. Documentation of this evaluation must be kept on file. | |
| Plasma cleaning | 0 | N/A | N/A | March 18, 1994 | Acceptable | OSHA standards for ozone must be met. | |
| Semi-aqueous cleaners | 0 | N/A | no | March 18, 1994 | Acceptable | EPA is planning to issue effluent guidelines for this industry under the Clean Water Act. | |
| Straight organic solvent cleaning (with terpenes, C6-C20 petroleum hydrocarbons, oxygenated organic solvents such as ketones, esters, ethers, alcohols, etc.) | 0 | N/A | N/A | March 18, 1994 | Acceptable | OSHA standards must be met, if applicable. | |
| Straight organic solvent cleaning with petroleum hydrocarbon C5 | 0 | N/A | N/A | February 24, 1998 (pdf) (140 KB) | Acceptable | ||
| Supercritical fluids | 0 | N/A | N/A | March 18, 1994 | Acceptable | OSHA standards for ozone must be met. | |
| The Mini-Max Cleaner® | The Mini-Max Cleaner® | 0 | 0 | N/A | September 28, 2006 (pdf) (182 KB) | Acceptable | |
| Trans-1,2-dichloroethylene | 0 | N/A | yes | August 26, 1994 | Acceptable | The OSHA set exposure limit is 200 ppm. | |
| Trans-1-chloro-3,3,3-trifluoroprop-1-ene | SolsticeTM 1233zd(E) | 0.00024 - 0.00036 | 4.7 - 7 | no | May 17, 2013 (pdf) (279 KB) | Acceptable | CAS Reg. No. is 102687-65-0; The manufacturer recommends an acceptable exposure limit of 300 ppm over an 8-hour time-weighted average for trans-1-chloro-3,3,3-trifluoroprop-1-ene; Note that this substitute boils at room temperature. Therefore, EPA recommends using this substitute in equipment designed to minimize solvent losses, emissions and worker exposure. Examples of such equipment include containers with connected hoses and valves that allow for direct transfer of the solvent to cleaning equipment without opening of the storage container, and enclosed or low-emission cleaning equipment. Observe recommendations in the manufacturer’s MSDS and guidance for using this substitute. Observe recommendations in the manufacturer’s MSDS and guidance for using this substitute. |
| Methoxytridecafluoroheptene isomers (MPHE) | SionTM | 0 | 2.5 | no | July 16, 2015 (pdf) (353 KB) | Acceptable | MPHE is a mixture of structural and stereo isomers, which includes trans-5-methoxy-perfluoro-3-heptene and eight isomeric structures. The manufacturer recommends an AEL of 500 ppm (8-hr TWA) for MPHE. |
| Trichloroethylene | 0.00037 | N/A | yes | March 18, 1994 | Acceptable | OSHA and RCRA standards must be met. EPA issued Maximum Achievable Control Technology requirements under the Clean Air Act for vapor degreasing in November 1994. | |
| UV/Ozone cleaning | 0 | N/A | no | March 18, 1994 | Acceptable | OSHA standards for ozone must be met. | |
| Volatile methyl siloxanes | 0 | N/A | yes | August 26, 1994 | Acceptable | Approval is granted for the whole class of compounds. | |
| HFE-64-13m(m)yy(s)c3 (1,1,1,2,2,3,4,5,5,5-decafluoro-3-methoxy-4-(trifluoromethyl)pentane) | Novec™ 7300 Engineered Fluid (HFE-7300) | 0 | 310 | no | July 21, 2017 (pdf) (314 KB) | Acceptable | The manufacturer recommends an AEL for the workplace for HFE-7300 of 100 ppm (8-hr TWA). This substitute is subject to a Toxic Substance Control Act (TSCA) section 5(a)(2) Significant New Use Rule (SNUR) (40 CFR 721.10061). |
| HFO-1336mzz(Z) | 0 | 9 | no | October 4, 2018 (pdf) (307 KB) | Acceptable |