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Cleaning Up Some Dirty Business

If you live or work in a building that houses a dry cleaning operation, you may be at risk for cancer or neurological damage, a fact that spurred the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to recently tighten restrictions on the use of this chemical by 2020.

The EPA ordered a phase-out of perchloroethylene, or perc, only in dry cleaners housed in residential buildings. That’s just 1,300 of the roughly 28,000 dry cleaners nationwide. Those that are operated in office buildings, strip malls or as standalone businesses may continue to use the chemical, but will have to capture perc emissions and install devices to detect leaks.

Studies have linked exposure to perc, an air pollutant, to higher cancer risks and impaired neurological function. Research shows that high levels of perc can be found in the blood, urine and breast milk of people who work in dry cleaning operations or live above them.  Some dry cleaners have already begun to phase out the chemical. New dry cleaners in residential buildings will not be allowed to use perc at all.

Over the past 10 years, dry cleaners have lowered perc emissions from 25,000 tons to 10,000 tons per year, according to the EPA. The phase-out will help lower emissions even more, but agency officials concede many people will remain exposed to higher-than-acceptable limits until the phase-out is complete.

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To read more about this and other environmental health issues, go to: www.environmentalhealthnews.org, www.ourstolenfuture.org, or www.healthandenvironment.org