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Lowe's announced in May it would also phase out the products by end of 2018.

\"We care deeply about the health and safety of our customers, and great progress is being made in the development of safer and more effective alternatives,\" said Mike McDermott, Lowe's chief customer officer.

The director of an industry group that represents manufacturers of these products said the group supports banning the use of products with methylene chloride for stripping bathtubs because of the risk, but added that they are the most effective products for removing paint. Faye Graul, executive director of the Homogenated Solvents Industry Alliance, said they support continued education and labeling to ensure methylene chloride-based paint strippers can be used safely.

The EPA said in May that it will make a decision soon on whether to completely ban the chemical, as the Obama administration recommended, or impose some other rules such as warning labels.

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