The EPA has banned 2 cancer-causing chemicals used in dry cleaning and degreasing. What that means for your health.

Natalie Rahhal
·Reporter
Updated ·4 min read
A dry cleaner finding an order on a rack.
Two chemicals used in dry cleaning and linked to cancer have now been banned by the Environmental Protection Agency. (Getty Images)

Two carcinogenic chemicals used in cleaning products and other common household goods have been banned in the U.S., the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced in a Dec. 9 press release. The chemicals — trichloroethylene (TCE) and perchloroethylene (PCE or perc) — can cause multiple kinds of cancers and damage to the kidney, liver and immune and nervous systems at high exposure levels. The EPA’s bans against the substances have been a long time coming, but industry groups have fought hard against legislation.

Here’s what to know about the newly banned chemicals and steps you can take to keep yourself and your family safe.

TCE is a solvent used in degreasing products, stain removers, paint strippers, cleaning wipes, carpet cleaners and spray adhesives, and it evaporates quickly to become an air pollutant. It was once the more common solvent used in dry cleaning, Dr. Samuel Goldman, a University of California, San Francisco, professor who studies environmental risk factors for Parkinson's disease, tells Yahoo Life, but was eventually replaced in most businesses by perc. TCE poses risks to people who work in industries where these products are heavily used but also threatens the health of those who live near shops and factories using TCE. That’s because some TCE can seep into the soil and groundwater, where it can remain for months or even years. As a result, one study estimated that between 9% and 34% of U.S. water is contaminated with TCE. After being dumped, TCE can also form toxic "plumes" — roving concentrations of contaminants that move through soil or groundwater — which are off-gassed, or released, into homes or businesses. Goldman's work has linked these plumes to increased risks of Parkinson's disease.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), exposure to TCE at high levels can cause:

  • Kidney cancer

  • Increased risks of non-Hodgkin lymphoma

  • Increased risks of liver cancer

  • Nerve damage

  • Heartbeat changes

  • Skin rashes

  • Autoimmune disease

  • Reproductive issues

Lower levels of exposure can cause:

  • Headache

  • Dizziness

Mainly found in dry-cleaning solvents, perc, or PCE, is released into the environment by industrial processes, including dry cleaning. Some of it evaporates in the air, while some sinks into the soil, where it can contaminate the water supply. The chemical is irritating to the eyes and upper respiratory tract — including the throat, sinuses, nose and mouth — when someone is directly exposed, according to the CDC. Although perc primarily poses dangers to people working in dry cleaning or other industries that use the chemical, people who live above or near these facilities may be at risk of:

  • Dizziness

  • Headaches

  • Coordination issues

  • Changes to mood, memory, attention, reaction time or vision

  • Possible damage to the liver, kidney and brain (according to animal studies)

  • Possibly higher risks of pregnancy and fertility issues (according to animal studies)

  • Possible increased risk of multiple myeloma, non-Hodgkins lymphoma or bladder cancer (with years of exposure)

The EPA's new bans are "a real victory for everybody, whether they know it or not," says Goldman. "It's a great step, but it's a first step," he adds — meaning much more needs to be done to reduce the presence of TCE and perc in the environment. "There's a lot of TCE [and perc] already in the environment, around us and under us," because it persists for decades after it leaks into the environment or is dumped as waste. The bans won't solve that problem, "but certainly, as a first step, we've got to stop using it," he says.

Important to note: The bans aren’t effective immediately. Companies using perc in consumer products, such as stain removers, or in industrial processes have under three years to do away with the chemical, the Washington Post reports. Dry cleaners will have 10 years to stop using perc, but in just six months, it will be prohibited in newly purchased dry-cleaning machines. TCE will have to be removed from all products within a year, although companies using it to clean parts for aircraft and medical devices and in manufacturing electric vehicle batteries and refrigerant, as well as in other transportation, security and defense systems, will have longer to make that transition.

In the meantime, you can check product ingredient labels for TCE or perc (make sure to check for the full chemical names too). Generally speaking, “green” dry cleaners don’t use perc or TCE and are a safer option. It’s harder to avoid chemicals in your environment, but you can check the Environmental Working Group’s map of TCE contamination (which shows local levels between 2017 and 2019) to see if your neighborhood is at risk. If it is, multiple state health departments recommend activated carbon filters — either used on your refrigerator or sink, or “whole house” filters, installed where water enters your home — to remove TCE, perc and other contaminants from your water.

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