The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced another action to protect public health under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA), proposing a ban on most uses of perchloroethylene (PCE). Today’s proposal would protect people from these risks by banning all consumer uses while allowing for many industrial/commercial uses to continue only where strict workplace controls could be implemented.
This announcement started a 60-day comment period from the public that will end on July 17 of this year.
“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,” said Assistant Administrator for the Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention Michal Freedhoff. “We’ve proposed to ban the uses we know can’t continue safely, and we’ve made sure that stringent controls are in place to protect workers for the uses that remain.”
EPA is proposing a 10-year phaseout for the use of PCE in dry cleaning, with compliance dates depending on the type of machine in which PCE is used. Drycleaners with a 3rd generation perc machine (dry-to-dry, non-vented, with a refrigerated condenser) will have three years from the publication of the final rule to stop using perc.
A 4th (dry-to-dry, non-vented, with both refrigerated condensers and carbon adsorbers) and 5th generation machines (dry-to-dry, non-vented, with both refrigerated condensers and carbon adsorbers, an interlocking system to ensure the concentration is below approximately 300 ppm before the loading door can be opened) will have the full ten years to comply.
If this proposal is adopted, all-time favorite drycleaning solvent will be gone completely from the industry.
This phaseout period would provide dry cleaners, many of which are small businesses, time to transition to an alternative process, and stakeholders have already noted an overall year-to-year decline in the use of PCE in dry cleaning. In addition, President Biden’s Fiscal Year 2024 budget request proposed funding for new pollution prevention grants that would support small businesses with transitioning to TSCA compliant practices and mitigate economic impacts. If implemented, these grants could be used to support small businesses like dry cleaners in their transition away from PCE.
