(AGENPARL) – lun 09 dicembre 2024 Issued: Dec 9, 2024 (10:00am EST)
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Biden-Harris Administration Announces Latest Actions under Nation’s Chemical
Safety Law to Protect People from Cancer-Causing Chemicals Trichloroethylene
and Perchloroethylene
Final EPA rules ban all uses of TCE, all consumer uses and many commercial
uses of PCE, require worker protections for all remaining uses under the Toxic
Substances Control Act
WASHINGTON – Today, Dec. 9, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
finalized the latest risk management rules for trichloroethylene (TCE) and
perchloroethylene (PCE) under the bipartisan 2016 Toxic Substances Control
Act (TSCA) amendments, marking another major milestone for chemical safety
after decades of inadequate protections and serious delays. These protections
align with President Biden’s Cancer Moonshot, a whole-of-government approach
to end cancer as we know it.
TCE is an extremely toxic chemical known to cause liver cancer, kidney cancer,
and non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. TCE also causes damage to the central nervous
system, liver, kidneys, immune system, reproductive organs, and fetal heart
defects. These risks are present even at very small concentrations. Under
today’s rule, all uses of TCE will be banned over time (with the vast
majority of identified risks eliminated within one year), and safer
alternatives are readily available for the majority of uses.
PCE is known to cause liver, kidney, brain and testicular cancer, as well as
damage to the kidney, liver and immune system, neurotoxicity, and reproductive
toxicity. Today’s final rule will better protect people from these risks by
banning manufacture, processing and distribution in commerce of PCE for all
consumer uses and many commercial uses, while allowing some workplace uses to
continue only where robust workplace controls can be implemented.
“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,” said Assistant Administrator for the Office of Chemical
Safety and Pollution Prevention Michal Freedhoff. “These rules are grounded
in the best-available science that demonstrates the harmful impacts of PCE and
TCE. EPA continues to deliver on actions that protect people, including
workers and children, under the nation’s premier bipartisan chemical safety
law.”
PCE and TCE are both nonflammable chlorinated solvents that are volatile
organic compounds. PCE can biodegrade into TCE, and PCE may contain trace
amounts of TCE as an impurity or a contaminant. The chemicals can often serve
as alternatives for each other. For several uses of TCE that will be totally
prohibited, there is an analogous use of PCE that can continue safely in
perpetuity under workplace controls. Some examples of uses that will be
prohibited under the TCE rule, but will continue under the PCE rule include:
industrial and commercial use as an energized electrical cleaner, in
laboratory use for asphalt testing and recovery, use to make refrigerants and
other chemicals, and for vapor degreasing. 
“Over 40 years ago, a mother named Anne Anderson from Woburn, Massachusetts,
approached me and started a crusade to keep any more children like Jimmy
Anderson, her son, from dying from cancer caused by toxic chemicals. Anne’s
work directly led to this announcement from the Environmental Protection
Agency that I am overjoyed to celebrate today alongside her and every
community that stands to benefit—a finalized ban on trichloroethylene and
most uses of perchloroethylene, two chemicals that cause cancer, affect
reproductive systems, are neurotoxic, and compromise immune systems,” said
Senator Ed Markey (D-MA). “Despite their dangers, these chemicals could
still be found in industries like dry cleaning, automotive repair and
manufacturing. With no doubt that these chemicals are deadly, there is no
doubt that this final rule will save lives—especially our children’s
lives—around the country.”
“The Camp Lejeune contaminated drinking water issue has dragged on over the
better part of forty years ever since TCE, PCE and other organic solvents were
first documented in the base’s drinking water supply in October 1980,”
said Jerry M. Ensminger, Retired U.S. Marine Corps Master Sergeant. “My
daughter, Janey, was conceived aboard Camp Lejeune during the drinking water
contamination and died of leukemia in 1985, at the age of nine. I first began
my fight for justice in 1997, and was later joined by Mike Partain in 2007,
who was also conceived aboard the base and diagnosed with male breast cancer
at the age of 39. Mike and I welcome this ban on TCE by the EPA and this is
proof that our fight for justice at Camp Lejeune was not in vain.” 
Trichloroethylene
TCE is used as a solvent in consumer and commercial products such as cleaning
and furniture care products, degreasers, brake cleaners, sealants, lubricants,
adhesives, paints and coatings, arts and crafts spray coatings, and is also
used in the manufacture of some refrigerants. Safer alternatives are readily
available for the majority of these uses.
EPA is finalizing its prohibition on all uses of TCE, most of which will be
prohibited within one year, including TCE manufacture and processing for most
commercial and all consumer products. This will protect most people who are
likely to be exposed to TCE from uses covered by TSCA, including all consumers
and workers in many sectors and many communities.
A limited number of uses in the workplace will be phased out over a longer
period. Those uses will only continue with required stringent worker
protections in place. All TCE uses with longer phaseout timeframes will have
worker safety requirements, such as a Workplace Chemical Protection Plan that
includes an inhalation exposure limit. The final rule sets a different
inhalation exposure limit for airborne TCE than was proposed. This change was
made in response to public comments to ensure the limit is feasible to
implement and monitor while still reducing risk. EPA estimates that the new
inhalation exposure limit would reduce long-term workplace exposure by 97%.
Many of the TCE uses that are continuing for longer than one year occur in
highly industrialized settings that can adopt EPA’s new stringent worker
protections, such as uses of TCE to clean parts used in aircraft and medical
devices, to manufacture battery separators, to manufacture refrigerants, as
well as in other transportation, security and defense systems.
For the use of TCE in manufacturing refrigerants, the longer timeframe
supports fighting climate change by complementing efforts to phase down
climate-damaging hydrofluorocarbons under the bipartisan American Innovation
and Manufacturing Act.