The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency proposed a ban on most uses of perchloroethylene (PCE), a chemical known to pose serious health risks including neurotoxicity and cancer.
The ban would apply to consumer uses of PCE, while allowing certain industrial and commercial uses that can implement strict workplace controls, according to a June 8 news release. These exceptions include uses related to national security, aviation, critical infrastructure, and efforts to combat the climate crisis.
“We know that exposure to PCE is dangerous for people’s health, and today’s rule is an important first step to keeping communities and workers safe,” Michal Freedhoff, assistant administrator for the EPA Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention, said in the release.
The proposed ban comes as a result of EPA's determination that PCE presents an unreasonable risk to health, affecting workers, occupational non-users, consumers and those in close proximity to consumer use, the release reported. The ban aims to mitigate potential risks associated with exposure to PCE, including neurotoxicity and cancer effects.
EPA’s analysis found alternative products with similar costs and efficacy to PCE are reasonably available for most of the proposed prohibited uses, according to the release.
In addition to the ban, EPA is proposing a 10-year phaseout for the use of PCE in dry cleaning, providing dry cleaners time to transition to alternative processes, the release said. The phaseout period aims to eliminate unreasonable risk for people working in or spending considerable time at dry cleaning facilities.
The proposal includes a workplace chemical protection program with strict inhalation exposure limits and requirements to prevent skin exposure for the industrial manufacturing and processing uses of PCE that are not proposed for prohibition, the release reported.
EPA encourages the public to review and comment on the proposed rule, particularly on the feasibility and efficacy of the proposed requirements for worker protections and the timeline for the phaseout of PCE use in dry cleaning, according to the release. A public webinar will be held to discuss the proposed program, and public comments will be accepted for 60 days following publication in the Federal Register.
