‘Extremely toxic chemical’ found in many products may be banned by EPA. What is TCE?
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.”
What is TCE?
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 cleaning wipes, paint removers, carpet cleaners, tool cleaners, spray adhesives and brake cleaners, 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 electric vehicles.
What health issues does it cause?
The chemical compound is “extremely toxic” and has been linked to adverse health effects, the EPA says.
The agency has found that TCE causes non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma and liver and kidney cancer, officials said. It also damages the immune system, 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.
Workers at a gaseous diffusion plant in Kentucky were found to have a “curious amplification” of cases of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, according to a 2011 study published in the International Journal of Occupational Medicine and Environmental Health.
What will the ban do?
The Biden administration’s proposed plan would ban most uses of TCE in one year, including in all consumer products and in most industrial products, officials said.
“Within this one-year timeframe, most people who are likely be exposed to TCE would be protected, including workers in many sectors, all consumers, and many communities,” officials said. “For the majority of uses of TCE as a solvent, including consumer products, safer alternatives to TCE are readily available.”
An exception would be made for limited uses of the chemical, including in the manufacture of battery separators and a number of refrigerants. These would be given a longer phase-down window.
There will be 45 days for public comment on the EPA’s proposed ban.
The suggested plan falls under President Joe Biden’s “Moonshot” initiative to “end cancer as we know it.” Expanded access to screenings and accelerated clean-ups of Superfund sites are among the priorities listed under the program.
Cancer rates worldwide have increased dramatically in people under 50 in recent decades, according to a study published in September in the journal BMJ Oncology.
After heart disease, cancer is the most common cause of death in the United States, according to the American Cancer Society.
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