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Greenpeace press releases

http://www.greenpeaceusa.org/media/press_releases/01_07_11.htm

Dry Cleaning Chemical Linked to Hundreds of Deaths, Warrants EPA
Listing as Carcinogen

New Report Shows Use Unnecessary as Environmentally Friendly
Alternatives Readily Available

WASHINGTON, D.C., July 11, 2001 - A new Greenpeace report reveals that
customers, dry cleaning workers and the general public are routinely
exposed to a cancer-causing solvent used to dry clean the vast
majority of clothes in the United States. The report also cites a new
government study that links the solvent perchloroethylene, or perc, to
266 workers' cancer deaths in four major cities (New York, Chicago,
Detroit, and San Francisco).

"Out of Fashion-Moving Beyond Toxic Cleaners" recommends that the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) classify perc as a probable
human carcinogen and encourages Congress to enact incentives for a
transition to pollution prevention cleaning technologies. H.R. 978
currently pending in Congress will provide a 20 to 40 percent tax
credit to dry cleaners that purchase environmentally safe systems.

"These worker deaths should be a wake-up call for the EPA and
Congress," said Rick Hind of Greenpeace. "Congress needs to take the
necessary steps to protect the public from this dangerous chemical."

Greenpeace is calling on EPA Administrator Christine Whitman to
declare perchloroethylene as a probable human carcinogen.

Some startling facts about perc within the report:

1.2 million Americans are exposed to perc in drinking water at levels
that exceed EPA's safety limit, 75 to 90 percent of all dry cleaners
have caused costly site contamination of groundwater, Dry cleaning
workers suffer higher death rates from several forms of cancer.

The report recommends two cleaning methods that offer the most
promise: wet cleaning and liquid carbon dioxide cleaning systems. Both
remove stains better than perc, are toxic-free, and are currently in
use around the country. In the report, Greenpeace also warns that
other alternatives marketed by Exxon and GE have not been fully tested
for their toxicity.

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Download the "Out of Fashion" report.

http://www.greenpeaceusa.org/media/publications/outoffashion.pdf

Executive Summary

The dry cleaning industry currently stands at a crossroads, whether to
embrace safer proven alternatives to perchloroethylene (perc), the
toxic and environmentally dangerous solvent it has depended upon for
40 years, or to continue using perc or similar solvents.

A study published in 2001 by the National Institute for Occupational
Safety and Health (NIOSH) found that dry cleaning workers in New York
City, Chicago, Detroit, Oakland and San Francisco suffered an excess
death rate from several forms of cancer including cancers of the
tongue, bladder, esopha-gus, intestine, lung and cervix.

As the hazards of perc have become better known, state regulations
have tightened, concern by resi-dents living above dry cleaners has
grown, and more dry cleaners are looking for safer ways to clean
clothes. Further, revelations surrounding seri-ous contamination of
groundwater with perc, such as the contamination at the U.S. Marine
base in Camp LeJeune, North Carolina, have added to the concerns of
business and consumers who would like to make dry cleaners better
neighbors.

Ironically, while there was once only a few perc alternatives, the
nation's almost 40,000 dry cleaners now find themselves with too many
choices. Some are clearly safe and non-toxic, while others use
sol-vents that may repeat the toxic mistakes of perc. Understandably,
cleaners want to compare these options before committing their
businesses to new processes. Greenpeace's Out of Fashion report is
dedicated to illuminating these options.

The serious risks of perc poses to dry cleaning workers, consumers who
take home dry cleaned clothes, and the environment are paramount in
weighing dry cleaning options. Some of the threats are described
below.

With respect to dry cleaning workers:

* Studies show elevated rates for several types of cancers.

* New so-called "Dry-to-Dry" perc machines can produce as much perc
contamination as transfer machines.

* The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) safety
standards for perc exposure are exceeded when a worker reaches into a
dry cleaning machine.

With respect to dry cleaning customers and the general public:

* Dry cleaned clothes release perc into your closets, your car, your
home and your lungs when you are wearing them.

* Airing out dry cleaned clothes for six hours only reduces perc by 20
percent.

* Dry cleaning facilities using perc routinely contaminate apartments
co-located in their buildings.

* At least 1.2 million Americans are exposed to perc in drinking water
at levels that exceed EPA's safety limit.

With respect to the environment:

* Perc is found in more than 50 percent of the Superfund sites in the
country. 70 percent of all perc used ends up in the environment.

* The "recovery" of used perc waste through incineration can form
dioxin.

* 75-90 percent of all U.S. dry cleaners have costly site
contamination, much of it in groundwater.

* Florida alone may face 2,800 perc cleanups costing an estimated $1.4
billion.

The good news is that hundreds of cleaners are perc-free today and as
many as 3,000 offer safe water based "wet cleaning" in their shops.
Wet cleaning and liquid carbon dioxide offer the most promising and
non-toxic alternatives. Both remove stains well, a major complaint
from dry cleaning customers, and both are currently in use around the
country. Yet these alternatives are very different, one based on the
skill of workers; the other based on new, sometimes expensive
machinery.

What is most important at this point is that national, state and local
governments provide incentives to dry cleaners and pave the way for
new technologies to flourish by removing obstacles to change.
Greenpeace believes the following steps must be taken to speed up the
move away from perc towards non-toxic and sustainable cleaning
methods.

U.S. Congress: Should create financial incentives to help small
business dry cleaners adopt sustainable methods of doing business. A
bill introduced in Congress (H.R. 978), will give dry cleaners who
switch to environmentally safe non-perc machines a tax credit of 20-40
percent of the equipment's purchase price.

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA): Must fin-ish their residual
risk analysis on perc that it prom-ised to begin in 1993. In doing
this, the EPA should also classify perc as a "probable human
carcino-gen," taking into account this classification by the
International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) and the EPA's own
Carcinogen Assessment Group.

Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA): Must finally
revise the Permissible Exposure Limit (PEL) for perc, which has been
promised for over five years now. There is ample evidence that
workable perc alternatives exist in the dry cleaning industry;
consequently, OSHA should cut the exposure limit to zero.

State and city governments: Should phase out perc use in residential
buildings as soon as possible. Whether co-located cleaners switch to a
safer process, become "drop off shops", move, or close is a decision
best left to the owners, but transition assistance should be provided.

Dry Cleaning Trade Associations: Should return to the cooperative
agreement (the Professional Wet Cleaning Partnership 1995-1998) with
consumers, environmentalists and unions to inform cleaners about the
safer alternatives to handling hazardous solvents. These associations
should explore further the liability of perc manufacturers (Dow, PPG
and Vulcan) and others that should share in liability due to
prevailing practices and equipment design, rather than working to
lower cleanup standards at contam-inated sites. Until perc is phased
out, all operators should be licensed, as they currently are in New
York and California, and trade associations are best positioned to
facilitate training for that certification.

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