The US Environmental Protection Agency on Monday banned the use of two ubiquitous cancer-causing solvents that activists have been target

Cancer-causing chemicals used in homes and workplaces banned by EPA

submited by

Style Pass

2024-12-09 22:00:53

The US Environmental Protection Agency on Monday banned the use of two ubiquitous cancer-causing solvents that activists have been targeting for decades.

The ban involves trichloroethylene, or TCE, a cancer-causing chemical that is common in manufacturing and can be found in water sources and properties around the world, as well as all consumer uses and many commercial uses of perchloroethylene, or PCE, a solvent used in industries such as dry cleaning, manufacturing and automobile repair.

Related article More than 385,000 Camp Lejeune contamination claims have been filed. So far, the US government has offered to pay 114 of them

“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,” Michal Freedhoff, assistant administrator for the EPA’s Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention, said in a news release.

Since the 1920s, TCE has been one of the most frequently used solvents in industry. It’s a colorless volatile organic compound that manufacturers use as a cleaning agent and degreaser, mainly for metal. It is nonflammable, so it can also be used in paints, sealants, coatings and some auto products like brake cleaners. Companies that make refrigerants also use TCE.