EPA proposes ban on carcinogenic cleaning chemical TCE

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is moving to ban a toxic chemical that is used in cleaning and has become infamous for health effects, including cancer. 

The EPA on Monday morning announced that it would propose a ban on trichloroethylene (TCE), which is used in making refrigerants and in dry cleaning. 

TCE is one of several chemicals that had contaminated drinking water at the Camp Lejeune Marine Corps Base in North Carolina. 

The substance causes a range of health impacts including liver cancer, kidney cancer and lymphoma.

 It also damages the central nervous system, liver, kidneys, immune systems and reproductive organs and has been found to harm fetal development, particularly fetal heart defects.

The agency first proposed banning some uses of the chemical under the Obama administration, but that effort was delayed and ultimately withdrawn by the Trump administration.

The Trump administration’s risk evaluation of the chemical was also criticized by environmental activists as understating the dangers posed by the chemical. The news outlet Reveal reported that the Trump White House had directed the EPA to exclude fetal heart defects in its assessment of the chemical. 

According to the new EPA proposal, nearly 53,000 workers are exposed to TCE. It also said that the rule may reduce the amount of TCE in drinking water systems, which could help protect the public. 

The Biden administration’s proposal would bar the manufacture, import, processing and distribution of TCE, with most uses being fully phased out in a year.

There are some uses of the substance that would be able to continue for more time, as the agency is proposing temporary exemptions for battery separator manufacturing and “critical” degreasing of military vehicles. 

EPA Deputy Administrator Janet McCabe described the proposal as a “vital step in our efforts to advance President Biden’s Cancer Moonshot and protect people from cancer and other serious health risks.”