Environmental and Health Risks of Dry Cleaning Chemicals: What You Need to Know
Environmental and health advocates have long sought to curb dangerous chemicals used in dry cleaning. Now, a new study adds to the evidence of harms, linking a common dry cleaning chemical to liver disease and cancer. Here’s what you need to know about the risks.
How Dry Cleaning Works
Despite the name, clothes don’t stay “dry” when dry-cleaned. Instead, garments are loaded into drums and soaked in chemicals that dissolve stains.
Before modern cleaning systems were developed, workers would manually move solvent-soaked garments from washer to dryer, creating a direct exposure route and increasing the chances of environmental contamination. Today, cleaners wash and dry everything in the same drum. Clothes are then pressed or steamed to complete the process.
What Are the Health Risks?
One of the most widely used dry cleaning chemicals is an industrial solvent called PCE, also known as tetrachloroethylene, perchloroethylene, or perc. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) considers PCE a probable human carcinogen, linking it to bladder cancer, multiple myeloma, and non-Hodgkin lymphoma.
Last year, the EPA announced a new rule banning PCE for most uses and giving dry cleaners a 10-year phaseout period. However, the Trump administration is reconsidering this decision, according to an EPA spokesperson.
A recent study found that exposure to PCE tripled the risk of liver fibrosis—excessive scarring that can lead to liver disease and liver cancer. Researchers discovered that repeated exposure to PCE, detectable in an estimated 7 percent of the U.S. population, increased the likelihood of liver damage.
“If you’ve been exposed to PCE, talk to your doctor about it,” said Brian P. Lee, associate professor of medicine at the University of Southern California and the study’s lead author.
The study also revealed that higher-income households face the most risk from PCE exposure because they are more likely to use dry cleaning. Additionally, people who work in cleaning facilities or live nearby face elevated risks due to prolonged exposure.
Once the chemical contaminates a building or the ground, it is very difficult to remove. The EPA estimates that roughly 6,000 dry cleaners, mostly small businesses, still use PCE in the United States.
Lee emphasized that the study adds to a growing list of harms associated with PCE. Other studies show that PCE can linger on clothing after dry cleaning, building up over time with repeated cleanings and contaminating indoor air as it vaporizes.
“We now have decades of studies confirming that these widespread dry cleaning chemicals are exposing people to unacceptable risks of cancer and other serious diseases,” said Jonathan Kalmuss-Katz, a senior attorney at the advocacy group Earthjustice. “Those harms are entirely avoidable.”
Jon Meijer, director of membership at the Drycleaning & Laundry Institute International, a trade association, supports the original rule passed under the Biden administration. He explained that those still using the chemical do so because of financial challenges.
“It’s time for a phaseout of perchloroethylene,” Meijer said. “There are so many alternatives out there.”
Safer Alternatives
Experts say there are plenty of alternatives to harmful dry cleaning chemicals, though some are safer than others. Here’s what you can do:
- Go dry-clean free: Try purchasing clothes that don’t need dry cleaning. Selecting cotton blazers and other professional attire, for example, can reduce dry cleaning visits, said Tasha Stoiber, a senior scientist at the Environmental Working Group.
- Hand-washing: Some “dry clean only” garments can be delicately hand-washed in cold water with a gentle detergent specific to the fabric. Hanging delicate clothes to dry avoids damage from heated dryers.
- Steaming: Steam cleaning freshens clothes by removing odors, bacteria, and small stains without a full wash.
- Commercial wet cleaning: This method uses biodegradable detergents and water instead of toxic solvents.
- Liquid carbon dioxide cleaning: Experts recommend selecting dry cleaners using liquid carbon dioxide as a solvent to remove dirt and avoid toxic chemicals.
Watch Out for Greenwashing
Some businesses advertise eco-friendly or “green” alternatives to dry cleaning. However, experts warn that new chemicals can have their own downsides.
Diana Ceballos, assistant professor in the University of Washington’s Department of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences, said dry cleaning technology has improved dramatically, and new solvents and machinery can be more effective than PCE.
Still, Ceballos cautioned that there can be a lot of “regrettable substitution” with alternatives to PCE, and some marketed as “safe” or “organic” could also be toxic.
“Most options are far better,” Ceballos said. “But there’s a lot of greenwashing out there, so people should ask questions and do a little bit of research.”
https://newsindiatimes.com/how-dry-cleaning-might-raise-the-risk-of-cancer-and-what-to-do-about-it/
