The Environmental Protection Agency has recently announced a landmark decision after outlawing two carcinogenic chemicals frequently found in everyday products.
According to The New York Times, the EPA is banning all forms of trichloroethylene — which is used in cleaners, spot removers, lubricants, and glue — and commercial applications of perchloroethylene in dry-cleaning and automotive-care products. However, the ruling still allows industries like aviation and defense to utilize the latter so long as tighter regulations are implemented to protect employees.
TCE can contaminate drinking water and has been linked to liver and kidney cancer, non-Hodgkin lymphoma, and complications with the nervous and immune systems.
Meanwhile, Perc is often inhaled and reportedly can cause liver, kidney, brain, and testicular cancer and otherwise harm the kidneys, the liver, and the immune system.
"It's simply unacceptable to continue to allow cancer-causing chemicals to be used for things like glue, dry cleaning or stain removers when safer alternatives exist," said Michal Freedhoff, assistant administrator of the department's Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention.
"There's simply no reason to continue to use this stuff. … The risk is just too great," she added.
Though there are concerns that the incoming Senate could reverse the restrictions under the Congressional Review Act, the Times noted that President-elect Donald Trump stated that he wants "the cleanest air and the cleanest water" and is committed to "getting dangerous chemicals out of our environment" during his campaign, meaning he may have political pressure to make good on those claims.
Wendy Wagner, a professor at the University of Texas at Austin School of Law, expressed trepidation to the Times, as Trump's first stint as president "saw some of the most notorious and flagrant interventions into the scientific record." As a previous Times report covered, the prior Trump administration rolled back more than 100 environmental rules and regulations, many of which were focused on clean air and water, in favor of business interests.
Separately, companies and organizations impacted by the new ban lambasted the decision. The American Chemistry Council stated that "the rule as proposed would present multiple challenges that could have far-reaching impacts on various industries and the national economy."
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The Dry Cleaning and Laundry Institute and the National Cleaners felt that reducing or phasing out Perc would "put an oppressive burden on thousands of cleaners."
Nonetheless, the ban was a victory for environmental advocates who have long voiced the health risks associated with TCE and Perc — including Linda Robles, who believes that the former was the reason behind the rare form of kidney cancer that killed her daughter.
"They've been telling me for decades that they're going to ban TCE, so it's such a big deal it's finally happening," she said.
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