EPA bans 2 cancer-causing common chemicals

SALT LAKE CITY – The Environmental Protection Agency this week announced bans on two chemicals used in home and workplace settings that are known to cause cancer.

The new rules apply to trichloroethylene and perchloroethylene under the auspices of the bipartisan 2016 Toxic Substances Control Act amendments, per the agency announcement.

"Over 40 years ago, a mother named Anne Anderson from Woburn, Massachusetts, approached me and started a crusade to keep any more children like Jimmy Anderson, her son, from dying from cancer caused by toxic chemicals. Anne's work directly led to this announcement from the Environmental Protection Agency that I am overjoyed to celebrate today alongside her and every community that stands to benefit — a finalized ban on trichloroethylene and most uses of perchloroethylene, two chemicals that cause cancer, affect reproductive systems, are neurotoxic and compromise immune systems," said Sen. Ed Markey, D-Mass.

"Despite their dangers, these chemicals could still be found in industries like dry cleaning, automotive repair and manufacturing. With no doubt that these chemicals are deadly, there is no doubt that this final rule will save lives — especially our children's lives — around the country," he said.

Jerry M. Ensminger, a retired U.S. Marine Corps master sergeant, said in the announcement that his daughter was conceived at Camp Lejeune, where the "contaminated water issue has dragged on over the better part of 40 years, ever since TCE, PCE and other organic solvents were first documented in the base's drinking water supply in October 1980."

Janey, his daughter, died from leukemia in 1985 at age 9. Ensminger also noted another advocate for banning the chemicals, Mike Partain, was conceived at the base and diagnosed with male breast cancer at age 39.

"Mike and I welcome this ban on TCE by the EPA, and this is proof that our fight for justice at Camp Lejeune was not in vain," Ensminger said.

The agency said that consumers will not feel a great impact in terms of losing access to the chemicals; there are substitutes in most cases for trichloroethylene, and where there is no substitute for perchloroethylene, the chemicals can continue to be used under strict controls within industry.

What is TCE?

The EPA notice called trichloroethylene "an extremely toxic chemical known to cause liver cancer, kidney cancer and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. TCE also causes damage to the central nervous system, liver, kidneys, immune system, reproductive organs and fetal heart defects. These risks are present at very small concentrations."

The trichloroethylene ban is a complete ban but phases in, with most of the risks eliminated within a year, the agency reported, noting "safer alternatives" are easily obtained for most of the chemical's uses.

Trichloroethylene is often a solvent in consumer and commercial products, including cleaning and furniture care, degreasers, brake cleaners, sealants, lubricants, adhesives, paints and coatings, and arts and crafts spray coatings. It is also used while making some refrigerants.

"Some of the exemptions associated with longer time frames are necessary to avoid impacts to national security or critical infrastructure," according to the EPA. "In addition, some of the time frames have been adjusted from the proposed rule based on public comment to allow reasonable time for transitioning to alternatives."

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said that trichloroethylene can seep into soil near industrial sites and then leach into groundwater, putting those living nearby at greatest risk. The liquid has no odor and evaporates quickly, contributing to pollution.

In addition to direct exposure in the workplace or to the chemicals, "you may be exposed to trichloroethylene from trichloroethylene-contaminated air, water, food, or soil or direct skin contact. You are most likely to be exposed to trichloroethylene by drinking trichloroethylene-contaminated water; you may also be exposed by breathing trichloroethylene released to the air from trichloroethylene-contaminated water," per CDC.

Ray Dorsey, professor of neurology at the University of Rochester, told the Washington Post that the trichloroethylene ban will "end a century of it causing cancer."

Dorsey, who has also researched the strong links between trichloroethylene exposure and Parkinson's disease, said the action will reduce cancers, stillbirths, congenital heart disease and Parkinson's disease. But he noted the ban will do little to address the contamination already in the environment.

Some uses will continue

The ban on perchloroethylene is a partial ban, with most of the phaseout occurring within three years.

"PCE is known to cause liver, kidney, brain and testicular cancer, as well as damage to the kidney, liver and immune system neurotoxicity and reproductive toxicity," according to the EPA. The manufacture, processing and distribution of perchloroethylene is banned for both consumer uses and many commercial uses, "while allowing some workplace uses to continue only where robust workplace controls can be implemented."

The EPA said it's finalizing a 10-year phaseout for perchloroethylene use in dry cleaning; its use in new dry-cleaning machines will be banned after six months. In machines already owned, the phaseout dates will vary, depending on the type of machine, but will happen earlier in older machines than in newer ones. The agency noted that many dry cleaners are already transitioning away from perchloroethylene.

According to the Post article, "Even tiny spills of perc can be hazardous to the environment because it can travel through concrete," said Katie Fellows, an environmental scientist at the Hazardous Waste Management Program in King County, Washington. The Post reported that perc in the environment can turn into trichloroethylene and vinyl chloride, which both cause cancer.

"If it gets into the environment, it's in the environment. You can't just mop it up," Fellows said.

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