The United States will disable perchloroethylene dry cleaning agent

According to the United States of America "Washington Post" reported on July 17th, the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced that, in order to reduce the pollution of chemical products perchloroethylene on the environment, dry cleaning industry shall comply with the "new standard" of environmental public health. According to the new standard, before 2020, perchloroethylene dry cleaning agent must be fully disabled in the dry cleaning industry.

Perchloroethylene is a chemical which transparent, colorless, with sweet smell. It has strong decontamination ability, suitable for various kinds of clothing. Compared with gasoline, making clothes dry cleaning washed with perchloroethylene, without any residue. Since the middle of twentieth Century, perchloroethylene is widely used in the dry cleaning solvent. It is understood, In the dry cleaning, perchloroethylene is heated to the boiling point, and then use the distillation of  perchloroethylene to wash clothes.

At present, the United States has about 2.8 000 cleaners using perchloroethylene dry cleaning agent. The dry cleaning shop is mainly distributed in New York and Washington and other big city, of which there are many dry cleaners directly in the residential buildings.

EPA thinks, perchloroethylene emissions during the heating process will cause the air pollution, resulting in adverse effects on the health of residents.

The United States Center for cancer research institutions had an experiment on the animals about this subject "perchloroethylene may cause harm to human health". Results show that, if the mice containing in excessive exposure perchloroethylene environment, is very susceptible to liver cancer and kidney cancer. The EPA did a survey in New York, mainly for those who live in the dry cleaning shop nearby residents. The results showed that, the respondents live from the dry cleaning shop near, toxic substances contents in blood, urine and milk is higher than other people.

In addition, direct contact or excessive inhalation of perchloroethylene, toxic gases will remain in the fat cells, cause eye, nose, throat, or inflammation of the skin, caused by nervous system damage, headache, dizziness, fatigue and sleepiness. If exposures in the environment with perchloroethylene in long-term, it also increases the risk of cancer.

According to the "Regulations for public environmental health standards", the dry cleaning shop located in residential buildings should be as soon as possible withdrawal of perchloroethylene; the dry cleaners, located in non residential should use detection equipment to prevent perchloroethylene leakage. Before 2020, all dry cleaners will disable perchloroethylene.

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