PRESS RELEASE FROM THE HALOGENATED SOLVENTS INDUSTRY ALLIANCE
EPA's CTSA For Drycleaning "Old News"
The US Environmental Protection Agency's recently released Cleaner Technology Substitutes Assessment (CTSA) for drycleaning uses old exposure information and outdated risk assessment methods to paint an unflattering picture of the industry's use of the solvent perchloroethylene or "perc." The CTSA, intended to be a tool for cleaners wishing to evaluate their pollution prevention options, may do more to hurt cleaners than help them.
"The drycleaning industry has reduced its consumption of perc by more than 60 percent over the last 10 years, primarily through the replacement of older equipment," notes Steve Risotto, Executive Director of the Halogenated Solvents Industry Alliance (HSIA). Representatives of the drycleaning industry, in fact, recently received awards from EPA for their leadership in the industry's successful efforts to reduce releases of perc to the environment.
In reviewing alternatives to perc for garment care, EPA has chosen to ignore what most consumers know to be true -- that many garments can not withstand being cleaned with water. Although new wet cleaning technology can extend the types of garments that can be cleaned in water, it can not replace cleaning with solvent.
"As long as consumers prefer to wear tailored clothes made of natural fibers, cleaners will need to use solvents like perc," notes HSIA's Risotto. "Reports of the successful commercialization of wetcleaning-only shops reflect wishful thinking on the part of a few proponents, not the consensus of several years of industry experience," adds Risotto.
Data used in the CTSA for assessing perc exposures among the general public and residents of apartments co-located in buildings with drycleaning equipment are not reflective of the current situation. "EPA's data on background levels of perc in the atmosphere are 10 to 15 years old," HSIA's Risotto reasons. "We know that perc levels have dropped substantially since then." Risotto adds.
The issue of perc exposures in co-located apartments discussed in the CTSA is primarily limited to the metropolitan New York area. The data presented in the CTSA are based on isolated incidences of poor equipment maintenance, moreover, that have been addressed by a new state regulation that became effective over a year ago. As a result, co-located cleaners in New York must take steps to ensure that perc emissions are minimized. "The co-location situation is another example," notes Risotto, "where the drycleaning industry responded to a potentially serious issue by working with the relevant authorities."
Perc was introduced into the drycleaning industry more than 50 years ago, and currently is used by more than 85 percent of the nation's cleaners. Substitution of perc for flammable solvents revolutionized the industry by allowing cleaners to locate closer to their customers. Because it is nonflammable, perc can be continually recovered and reused during the cleaning process using integrated filtration and distillation technology. 'Today's modern drycleaning machines only use a couple of tablespoons of perc to clean a garment," notes HSIA's Risotto.
Allegations of perc's carcinogenicity are based largely on the results of studies in laboratory animals. Yet numerous studies of workers exposed to perc for extended periods of time have failed to find a consistent pattern of health effects. In reviewing the available evidence, EPA's own Science Advisory Board concluded in 1991 that "there is no compelling evidence of human cancer risk" for perc exposure. Similarly, suggestions of reproductive effects are not confirmed by the available data for occupationally exposed workers.
"As long as it's used in accordance with regulatory requirements and manufacturers' recommendations , perc is a safe and effective product for the drycleaning industry," remarks HSIA's Risotto.
HSIA is a trade association of manufacturers and users of perchloroethylene and other chlorinated solvents. It has sponsored research on the potential health effects of perc and on methods to reduce the amount of the solvent remaining in clothes after drycleaning. HSIA has been involved-in the EPA's drycleaning project since the early 1990s.
The HSIA web address is http:/www.hsia.org
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