In a decision welcomed by environmentalists and health advocates, America’s Environmental Protection Agency has banned two solvents found in everyday products that can cause cancer and other serious diseases.
For decades, communities close to factories, airports, dry cleaners and other sites have lived with the consequences of exposure to trichloroethylene, or TCE, a toxic chemical used in cleaners, spot removers, lubricants and glue.
The New York Times reports that TCE is known to cause liver cancer, kidney cancer and non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, and to damage the nervous and immune systems. It has been found in drinking water nationwide and was the subject of a 1995 book that became a movie, A Civil Action.
In the decision announced this week, the EPA said it was banning all uses of the chemical under the Toxic Substances Control Act, which was overhauled in 2016 to give the agency greater authority to regulate harmful chemicals.
The EPA also banned all consumer uses of perchloroethylene, used in dry-cleaning and in automotive-care products. Though it is less harmful than TCE, the solvent, also called Perc, can cause liver, kidney, brain and testicular cancer, and can damage kidneys, the liver and the immune system.
The ban of Perc still allows for a range of industrial uses, including in aviation and defence, with the provision that strict rules must be in place to protect workers. Both bans were initially proposed in 2023.
“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,” said Michal Freedhoff, assistant administrator for the EPA Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention.
Industry groups have criticised the new restrictions. The American Chemistry Council said “the rule as proposed would present multiple challenges that could have far-reaching impacts on various industries and the national economy”.
Freedhoff said that safer alternatives were becoming readily available. “There’s simply no reason to continue to use this stuff to make glue, or as a dry cleaning aid, or to clean up grease,” she said. “The risk is just too great.”
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