"The exposure of people living or working close to operating dry cleaning facilities is a major public health concern."

-New York State Department of Health

What is the health concern all about?

Routinely, dry cleaning establishments use PERC, or perchloroethylene, which is a toxic solvent that removes stains form clothes. PERC is also used by auto repair shops and in other industries to remove grease and oil from tools.

Have any studies been done on PERC's possible health effects?

A Boston University study of several Massachusetts communities that were exposed to PERC through contaminated drinking water revealed a two to eight fold increased risk of leukemia, depending upon the degree of exposure. The study also found a four-fold increase risk of bladder cancer, confirming and strengthening many previous occupational studies linking PERC exposure to bladder cancer. PERC was the sole contaminant found in the drinking water supply in any amount that could account for the observed effects.

A study by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health and the National Institute of Environmental Safety and Health in the U.S. found a seven-fold increase between the risk of cancer of the esophagus and PERC. The study involved more that 600 dry cleaning workers with five or more years of experience in the industry.

The Environmental Protection Agency lists vinyl chloride, into which PERC ultimately degrades, as a known or probable human carcinogen. Other health effects associated with exposure to PERC are memory impairment, liver and kidney damage, endocrine disruption, menstrual disorders, infertility, and miscarriages.

The New York State Department of Heath has calculated that from 58 to 600 excess cancer cases per million occur among infants exposed to PERC for more than one year via contaminated breast milk.

How are we exposed?

When it is exposed to air, PERC is released into the environment.

Almost half of all Americans rely on groundwater for their drinking water, yet federal surveys have determined that more than 26.1 percent of U.S. groundwater supplies are contaminated with PERC, with concentration reaching a maximum of 1500 parts per billion. Only five PPB is the standard under the Safe Drinking Water Act.

When the plastic is removed from the dry cleaning clothes we take home, PERC is released.

When used in dry cleaning establishments that are located next to retail food operations, PERC migrates and has been found in fatty foods. According to the above mentioned report, tests have shown that dry cleaned clothing placed in a closed car next to a bag of groceries can contaminate food in less than one hour.

How does PERC get into our groundwater?

When discarded into the sewer system, PERC settles to the bottom of the sewer line and migrates through pipes into the soil and aquifers. When there are leaks or defects in the sewer systems, PERC seeps into ground water supplies.

Historically, dry cleaners and other fabric processors were allowed to use dry wells and sewer systems to dispose of leftover PERC, which caused a direct source of groundwater contamination.

Today, they typically generate one to two gallons of PERC - contaminated water per day, depending upon the type of control used.

What can I do to protect myself?

Ask your dry cleaner to use wet cleaning for clothes of natural fibers. Some dry cleaners use wet cleaning for all clothes!

Be sure your dry cleaner has a certified waste hauler. There is usually a decal in the window showing the name of the firm that removes PERC and contaminated wastewater.

Air your dry-cleaned clothing outside - never near children or food allowing several hours for the PERC to dissipate.

Write to the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, urging them to approve the proposed regulations for dry cleaners.

FOR MORE INFORMATION ON DRY CLEANING AND THE ENVIRONMENT, CONTACT:

Long Island Neighborhood Network
516-541-4321

NYS Attorney General's Office
516-248-3302
for free informational booklets on environmental hazards

1in9: The Long Island Breast Cancer Action Coalition
516-357-9622

1in9: The Long Island Breast Cancer Action Coalition makes no representation as to, and cannot vouch for, the accuracy or statistical significance of these sources.

The information contained in these brochures was compiled from the following sources:

Dry Cleaning: A Threat to Public Health?

NY State Dept. of Health

Boston University, Boston MA

National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency