{"id":3460,"date":"2011-03-07T13:32:14","date_gmt":"2011-03-07T20:32:14","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/unrbep.org\/?p=3460"},"modified":"2011-03-07T13:32:14","modified_gmt":"2011-03-07T20:32:14","slug":"epa-approves-california%e2%80%99s-efforts-to-become-nation%e2%80%99s-first-perc-free-dry-cleaning-state","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/unrbep.org\/dealerportal\/epa-approves-california%e2%80%99s-efforts-to-become-nation%e2%80%99s-first-perc-free-dry-cleaning-state\/","title":{"rendered":"EPA approves California\u2019s efforts to become nation\u2019s first PERC-free dry cleaning state"},"content":{"rendered":"

Hazardous dry cleaning chemical to be removed by 2023<\/strong><\/p>\n

SAN FRANCISCO \u2013 The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has approved California\u2019s regulations banning the use of the toxic air contaminant perchloroethylene (PERC) from the state\u2019s dry cleaning operations by 2023.\u00a0 This action means that the current federal regulations will be replaced with California\u2019s more stringent approach, which now can be enforced by the federal EPA and citizens of California.<\/p>\n

PERC, a possible human carcinogen, is a man-made liquid solvent often used in the dry cleaning industry, in textile mill operations, by chlorofluorocarbon producers, for vapor degreasing and in metal cleaning operations.\u00a0 The dry cleaning industry is a leading user of PERC in the U.S.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe applaud California\u2019s efforts to rid its dry cleaning industry of this dangerous toxin,\u201d said Jared Blumenfeld, the EPA\u2019s Regional Administrator for the Pacific Southwest.\u00a0 \u201cThe state\u2019s approach gives consumers healthier dry cleaning alternatives.\u201d<\/p>\n

According to California\u2019s Air Resources Board, the estimated number of PERC-using machines has been steadily dropping from 4670 machines in 2003 to 2000 machines in 2009.\u00a0 Meanwhile, the estimated number of wet cleaning and CO2 machines \u2013 which use less toxic cleaning methods \u2013 has almost tripled from 90 machines in 2003 to 253 machines in 2009.<\/p>\n

EPA\u2019s Toxic Reporting Inventory database reports that more than 107,043 pounds of PERC were released to the environment in California in 2009, mostly through air emissions.<\/p>\n

Exposure to PERC can occur in the workplace or in the environment following releases to air, water, land, or groundwater.\u00a0\u00a0 Exposure can also occur when people use products containing PERC, spend time in dry cleaning facilities that use PERC, live next to dry cleaning facilities, or bring dry cleaned garments into their homes.\u00a0 Once in the body, PERC can remain stored in fat tissue.\u00a0 In addition to being a possible human carcinogen, exposure to PERC is also associated with chronic, non-cancer health effects, including liver and kidney damage in rodents, and neurological effects in humans.<\/p>\n

California\u2019s Airborne Toxic Control Measure for dry cleaning operations implements a ban on the use of PERC in dry cleaning operations in California.\u00a0 All remaining PERC dry cleaning machines must be removed from service by January 1, 2023.\u00a0 The California Air Resources Board identified PERC as a toxic air contaminant in 1991, and adopted the current Airborne Toxic Control Measure regulating PERC dry cleaning operations in 2007.<\/p>\n

For more information on the state\u2019s Dry Cleaning program, please visit: www.arb.ca.gov\/toxics\/dryclean\/dryclean.htm<\/a><\/p>\n

For more information on EPA\u2019s dry cleaning regulations, please visit:\u00a0 http:\/\/epa.gov\/drycleaningrule\/basic.html<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Hazardous dry cleaning chemical to be removed by 2023 SAN FRANCISCO \u2013 The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has approved California\u2019s regulations banning the use of the toxic air contaminant perchloroethylene (PERC) from the state\u2019s dry cleaning operations by 2023.\u00a0 This action means that the current federal regulations will be replaced with California\u2019s more stringent approach, … Continue reading EPA approves California\u2019s efforts to become nation\u2019s first PERC-free dry cleaning state<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[7],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/unrbep.org\/dealerportal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3460"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/unrbep.org\/dealerportal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/unrbep.org\/dealerportal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/unrbep.org\/dealerportal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/unrbep.org\/dealerportal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3460"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/unrbep.org\/dealerportal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3460\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3461,"href":"https:\/\/unrbep.org\/dealerportal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3460\/revisions\/3461"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/unrbep.org\/dealerportal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3460"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/unrbep.org\/dealerportal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3460"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/unrbep.org\/dealerportal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3460"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}