Where are the TCE cleanup sites in Milwaukee County?

Unsafe levels of the carcinogen trichloroethylene, or TCE, have forced the evacuation of two Milwaukee-area apartment developments this year, prompting questions from residents about where the toxic chemical is found in the region.

State records show that Milwaukee County has 832 total sites known to be current or former TCE cleanup spots. Of these, 281 are residential properties.

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel gathered records for all of these sites from the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources and used them to create the map below. This data is current as of August 2023.

TCE is a man-made chemical commonly used in factories and manufacturing processes. It can be found at former industrial sites as well as dry cleaning facilities. TCE-related issues have been recorded at military bases such as Camp Lejeune in North Carolina as well as Google and NASA facilities in Silicon Valley.

The chemical, which has been listed as a known carcinogen since 2000, is present in half of the most toxic contamination sites monitored by the Environmental Protection Agency and is the most frequently reported organic contaminant in the country's groundwater.

Health effects from exposure to the chemical can include headaches, dizziness and sleepiness. The carcinogen has also been linked to kidney and liver disease, Parkinson’s disease, fetal cardiac defects, and death.

The evacuation of Milwaukee's Community Within the Corridor development due to high levels of the toxic chemical was the first of its kind in Wisconsin history. However, four months later, an apartment complex in Glendale was evacuated for the same reason.

State officials have insisted that these evacuations are “highly unusual."

Complaints about TCE exposure have also been reported at the soon-to-be-closed Master Lock factory — just south of the Community Within the Corridor apartments.

More: Toxic chemical problems that forced evacuations in Milwaukee reflect massive national problem

Contaminated properties clustered in industrial areas

A number of open and closed TCE sites run along current and former railroads.

Although the DNR has not analyzed any connections between TCE and the area's surrounding railroads, Milwaukee's industrial history likely plays a role in the chemical's concentration, said DNR remediation and redevelopment field operations director Trevor Nobile.

Historically, factories fed into railroad lines, Nobile said.

Under state law, the DNR keeps track of hazardous discharges of chemicals, but the responsibility for cleaning up harmful toxins falls on the current property owner rather than the original polluter.

“A lot of laws haven't kept up with the sheer amount of toxic chemicals people were using,” said Tracey Woodruff, director of the Program on Reproductive Health and the Environment at the University of California, San Francisco.

Some have questioned why original polluters, many of whom have relocated operations from the area, are not held liable for cleaning up on their way out.

“You make a profit off of it and it left a horrific problem — a legacy problem,” said state Sen. Lena Taylor, D-Milwaukee. “They should be helping with the cleanup.”

More: Two apartment complexes have been evacuated because of a carcinogen this year. Here's what we know

More: What to know about carcinogen TCE that caused two Milwaukee apartment evacuations

What are officials doing about TCE?

Minnesota and New York have partially banned TCE's use. However, in 2020, the EPA estimated that 250 million pounds of the chemical are still used annually while over two million pounds are released into the environment.

Some Wisconsin legislators, as well as Gov. Tony Evers, have called for improvements to the current regulations governing the redevelopment of former industrial sites into residential units.

State Sen. Robert Cowles, R-Green Bay, who chairs the Legislature’s natural resources committee, said he is open to strengthening the DNR’s power to regulate developers and polluters.

However, his Republican colleagues stripped $8 million from the most recent state budget for chemical cleanup. Many are also supporting a lawsuit that would overturn the state law that empowers the DNR to regulate polluters.

What to do if you have concerns about TCE

Immediate concerns about TCE-related symptoms should be reported to Wisconsin's poison control line at 1-800-222-1222.

For general questions about potential TCE exposure, individuals can contact the state's Department of Natural Resources or their local health department. The DNR can be contacted at 1-888-936-7463.

Trouble viewing the map? Try viewing it in a browser. For questions about this map, or to report a problem, email ahahn@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Look up TCE cleanup sites in Milwaukee