**The EPA’s Recent Prohibition on TCE and Regulations on PCE: A Landmark for Chemical Safety and Public Well-being**
In a pivotal step for enhancing public safety and limiting exposure to toxic substances, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has enacted new regulations prohibiting all applications of trichloroethylene (TCE) and imposing stringent restrictions on tetrachloroethylene (PCE). This decision, made public on December 9, represents the agency’s latest initiative under the national chemical safety legislation known as the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA). These solvents, commonly utilized in sectors like dry cleaning, automotive maintenance, and production, have been associated with cancer and numerous serious health threats. The newly established regulations signify an essential advancement in addressing these risks, while also prompting conversations about the move towards safer alternatives.
### A Comprehensive Ban on TCE: Tackling Critical Health Concerns
Trichloroethylene (TCE) has faced scrutiny for many years due to its well-recognized health hazards. The EPA points out that even minimal exposure levels to TCE can lead to severe health effects, including various forms of cancer, damage to the central nervous system, immune system, kidneys, and liver. The chemical’s extensive application in processes like metal degreasing, refrigerants, paints, and adhesives has transformed it into a widespread environmental and occupational risk.
According to the newly finalized regulations, all uses of TCE for both consumer and commercial purposes will be prohibited within one year, with select applications allowed an extended phaseout period. For these prolonged timelines, the agency has mandated stringent worker safety protocols, including inhalation exposure limits, designed to safeguard those who might still engage with the chemical during the transition period. Significantly, the EPA asserts that safer alternatives to TCE are generally available for most usages, indicating confidence in a seamless shift within the industry.
### Strict Regulations on PCE: Reducing Risks from a Similar Hazard
The EPA has also enforced considerable restrictions on tetrachloroethylene (PCE), another solvent closely linked to dry cleaning and metal degreasing. Although not completely banned, PCE is now subjected to rigorous consumer-use limitations and occupational safety regulations in numerous commercial sectors. Similar to TCE, PCE is associated with various cancers, neurotoxic effects, and damage to vital organs like the kidneys and liver. Additionally, it poses potential threats to reproductive health and can break down into TCE under specific environmental conditions, exacerbating its harmful effects.
The agency highlights the necessity of strict safety protocols when replacing TCE with PCE in certain uses, like asphalt testing or vapor degreasing, to prevent the emergence of new risks. Nevertheless, this careful approach has faced criticism from several advocacy groups, who caution against “exchanging one toxic risk for another.”
### Concerns from Industry and Transition Hurdles
The chemical sector has voiced concerns regarding the comprehensive ban on TCE and the tightened regulations surrounding PCE. The Alliance for Chemical Distribution (ACD), a trade association for chemical distributors, argues that the removal of TCE could affect vital sectors such as energy, transportation, and defense. Jennifer Gibson, the senior vice president of regulatory affairs at ACD, highlighted that TCE plays a crucial role in manufacturing lead-acid and lithium battery separators, which are essential for renewable energy and electric vehicle sectors.
Lynn Kornfeld, a legal expert in environmental law at Holland & Hart, also brought attention to the difficulties facing businesses dependent on TCE. “Due to historical uses, TCE is already a contaminant of concern at many remediation sites,” she noted, emphasizing the pressure on industries to transition to alternatives. Kornfeld suggested that companies will need to find appropriate substitutes and modify current manufacturing practices—a potentially expensive and technically challenging endeavor.
Some firms are already providing proprietary alternatives designed to take the place of TCE in processes such as rapid degreasing and cleaning. While these solutions may facilitate the transition for businesses, the effectiveness, availability, and scalability of these substitutes remain significant concerns as industries move away from the now-banned solvent.
### Advocacy Groups React: A Push for More Comprehensive Protections
Environmental and public health organizations have praised the EPA’s action while urging further action to tackle ongoing risks. Jonathan Kalmuss-Katz, an attorney at Earthjustice, pointed out deficiencies in the EPA’s PCE regulations, notably the absence of limits on environmental emissions and safeguards for “fenceline communities”—residents living near industrial sites. “The last thing we want is for industry to replace banned uses of TCE with PCE, trading one toxic danger for another,” he cautioned, imploring the EPA to adopt additional measures to safeguard vulnerable groups and enhance environmental protection.
Kalmuss-Katz’s worries reflect a broader critique of the agency’s chemical regulation strategy: while the comprehensive ban on TCE is celebrated as a historic triumph for public health, the limited scope of the PCE regulations may unintentionally sustain harm.
### Safer Alternatives: The Way Forward
A crucial point raised by the