Print Friendly and PDF
Be on alert for scams during the holiday season
Watch out for gray market products when buying cameras and photography equipment

Two solvents linked to cancer found in dry cleaning, lubricants, and glues banned by EPA

Dry_clean_rack

Photo: Simon Law

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on Monday banned all uses of the solvent trichloroethylene, or TCE, a toxin that can cause health issues such as cancer.

The agency also banned all consumer and many commercial uses of perchloroethylene, or PCE, an industrial solvent which is used for dry cleaning and automotive care products. PCE has been linked to health harms, including damage to the kidneys, liver, and the immune system.

TCE

TCE is used in commercial and industrial processes, including as a solvent for industrial cleaning and degreasing. More than 80 percent of TCE is used to manufacture refrigerants.

“People can be exposed to this toxic solvent at home not just by drinking TCE-contaminated water but also by inhaling it when bathing and washing dishes,” Tasha Stoiber, Ph.D., senior scientist with the Environmental Working Group, said in a statement. “The EPA’s final rule will help to finally end most uses of this dangerous chemical.”

In addition causing cancer, including non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, TCE can cause developmental and reproductive harms. These risks are particularly high for workers in settings where the chemical is used. But people can be exposed at TCE-contaminated sites, as well as through drinking water and other water uses at home. 

Under the rule, all uses of TCE will be banned over time (with the vast majority of identified risks eliminated within one year), and safer alternatives are readily available for the majority of uses.

One of the worst TCE contamination cases on record in the United States is at North Carolina’s Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune. The solvent, and other chemicals, contaminated the base’s drinking water for decades, increasing cancer risks for civilian and military personnel.

Americans concerned about the possibility of the chemical in their own drinking water can review EWG’s interactive map of TCE contamination, which is based on data from state drinking water agencies’ water system tests between 2017 and 2019. Or they can enter their ZIP code in EWG’s Tap Water Database.

The EWG recommends people with TCE-contaminated drinking water can use a carbon-based filter to eliminate it, but costs vary, and some homes may need an expensive whole-house filter. Households relying on private well water should consider testing the water for contaminants to see whether it must be treated, the environmental group advises.

PCE

PCE is a solvent that’s widely used for consumer uses such as brake cleaners and adhesives, in commercial applications such as dry cleaning, and in many industrial settings. Safer alternatives are readily available for the majority of these uses, the EPA said in a statement.

The EPA is finalizing a 10-year phaseout for the use of PCE in dry cleaning to eliminate the risk to people who work or spend considerable time at dry cleaning facilities. Use of PCE in newly acquired dry-cleaning machines will be prohibited after six months.

“It’s simply unacceptable to continue to allow cancer-causing chemicals to be used for things like glue, dry cleaning or stain removers when safer alternatives exist,” Michal Freedhoff, assistant administrator for EPA’s Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention, said in a statement. “These rules are grounded in the best-available science that demonstrates the harmful impacts of PCE and TCE.”

Comments

Feed You can follow this conversation by subscribing to the comment feed for this post.

Verify your Comment

Previewing your Comment

This is only a preview. Your comment has not yet been posted.

Working...
Your comment could not be posted. Error type:
Your comment has been posted. Post another comment

The letters and numbers you entered did not match the image. Please try again.

As a final step before posting your comment, enter the letters and numbers you see in the image below. This prevents automated programs from posting comments.

Having trouble reading this image? View an alternate.

Working...

Post a comment

Your Information

(Name and email address are required. Email address will not be displayed with the comment.)