David Pratt felt relieved upon learning that the Environmental Protection Agency banned two known carcinogens used in consumer products and dry cleaning.
Environmental advocates pushed for the banning of some of the chemicals for over 30 years, he said. Both have been used since the early 1900s.
“It means that the EPA is paying attention to the environmental hazards of chemistry, and that’s a huge plus,” said Pratt, a retired chemistry professor at the University of Pittsburgh. “A big problem is that the industry carries a lot of political weight, so the fact that EPA stood up is very impressive.”
The EPA banned TCE, or trichloroethylene, which is found in degreasing agents, as well as furniture and auto repair products, and PCE, or perchloroethylene, which is an industrial solvent in processes like dry cleaning and auto repair, as of Dec. 9.
“It’s about time,” Pratt said. “I’m first and foremost a chemist who cares about the environment.
“To see these chemicals continually being used despite all evidence that they’re harmful is really quite upsetting.”
Perc is toxic to the nervous system and reproductive system, as well as an environmental pollutant, the EPA said. TCE is associated with cancers like Hodgkin’s lymphoma, leukemia and kidney and liver cancer. It’s also toxic to the nervous immune and reproductive systems. Perc can biodegrade into TCE.
Perc in dry cleaning
Perc, or PCE, has been used in the dry cleaning process for decades as a solvent. Some dry cleaners have already moved away from the chemical.
“That’s what you smell when you bring clothes home from the dry cleaners,” Pratt said. “There are plenty of other chemicals that are not hazardous to the environment that could be used for these and other purposes.”
Joe Henderson, co-owner of Ruby’s Cleaners in Monroeville, said it’s been 20 years since he’s used the compounds in his dry cleaning process.
“We got rid of all of those chemicals,” he said. “We had to go with something that was environmentally friendly.
“I’m trying to stay ahead of the curve.”
Shadyside Valet is one of the remaining locations that still use perc, according to owner Jerry Montesano. He said because the solvent is cold when used on the clothes, it’s not dangerous.
The chemicals break apart through the action of heat, according to Pratt, but even as a cold solvent, there’s still a vapor pressure — albeit less prominent.
“It’s just that it’s much lower in concentration, so you can’t smell it,” he said. “That doesn’t mean it isn’t still dangerous.”
Henderson said he doesn’t believe it’s dangerous unless a dry cleaner still operates with old machines.
“99.9% of the solvent is out of it,” he said.
Montesano explained that Shadyside Valet, which manages all of the wardrobes for the Benedum Center, PPG Paints Arena, Acrisure Stadium and more, said its equipment is updated. The dry cleaning now has carbon absorbers that he said pull the toxins out of the process.
“It doesn’t matter to me because we have other options,” he said of the ban. “I can convert it, or I can buy another machine … doesn’t matter to me — we’re gonna keep going.”
Why now?
The new ban will prohibit the use of TCE in all products within a year, with few exemptions.
However, Pratt said he’s not sure that Donald Trump’s administration will favor the EPA’s move, as they are business-oriented.
“I’m not convinced that the next administration will follow through with this,” he said of the banning. “I don’t know what happens next.”
The state’s Department of Environmental Protection said in a statement it will work to implement the new regulation in the state to “protect the air, land and water of Pennsylvania,” according to press secretary Neil Shader.
Pratt said lobbyists and advocates within the chemical industry have prevented the EPA from banning choral-containing compounds sooner.
It’s a multimillion-dollar problem, according to Pratt, because there is a whole industry devoted to producing these chemicals, and it would have to shift manufacturing — which would be costly. Millions of gallons of these chemicals are used each year, he said.
“To change years at this particular point would be very difficult financially for many companies,” Pratt said. “New technologies would have to be used; New ways of purification would have to be used; New ways of distribution would have to be used.”
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Because TCE and perc can cause cancers, Pratt said he’s concerned.
“It’s a serious problem,” he said.