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‘Extremely toxic chemical’ found in many products may be banned by EPA. What is #TCE?

Brendan Rascius
Tue, October 24, 2023

"The Environmental Protection Agency (#EPA) proposed a ban on #trichloroethylene (TCE), a #cancer-causing chemical found in consumer and industrial products.

"The proposed near-total ban — part of the #Biden administration’s 'moonshot' initiative to eradicate cancer — would take effect next year, following a period for public comment, according to an Oct. 23 EPA news release.

"'The science is loud and clear on TCE,' EPA Deputy Administrator Janet McCabe said in the release. 'It is a dangerous toxic chemical and proposing to ban it will protect families, workers, and communities.'

"TCE is a colorless, liquid chemical compound that is manufactured primarily as a cleaning #solvent, according to the National Cancer Institute.

"It’s typically not found in products marketed to consumers, but among the household products it is used in are #CleaningPipes, #PaintRemovers, #Carpet Cleaners, #ToolCleaners, #SprayAdhesives and #BrakeCleaners, officials said.

"Industrially, it’s used to #degrease metal materials found in aircraft and as a refrigerant. It’s also employed in the manufacturing of battery separators found in #ElectricVehicles.

"The chemical compound is 'extremely toxic' and has been linked to adverse health effects, the EPA says.

"The agency has found that TCE causes #NonHodgkinsLymphoma and liver and kidney #cancer, officials said. It also damages the #ImmuneSystem, the central nervous system, reproductive organs and puts fetal development at risk.

"'These risks are present even at very small concentrations of TCE,' officials said.

"'TCE is also associated with Parkinson’s disease and possibly other neurodegenerative diseases,' Briana De Miranda, a professor specializing in toxicology at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, told McClatchy News.

"Exposure to the chemical can occur in a number of ways, the most common of which is via inhalation, De Miranda said.

"'If people work with TCE they may inhale it through its vapor phase or off gassing of the liquid,' De Miranda said. 'If people live or work where it contaminates the soil or ground water, they could inhale TCE via vapor intrusion into buildings.'

"It can also be ingested orally, including through #contaminated drinking water, and through the skin, though this is less common, De Miranda said.

"Exposure often occurs at #Superfund sites, which are swaths of land across the country that are designated as contaminated by the EPA. These include manufacturing centers, processing plants, #landfills and #mines."

#ToolCleaners

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