Press Release

January 25, 2007
Contact: Annette Kondo

213-630-1192 x. 103
818-599-4911 (cell)
Annette@coalitionforcleanair.org

California Will Phase Out Toxic Dry Cleaning Chemical in 15 Years

SACRAMENTO ­– The state decided today to phase out a dangerous carcinogen in the dry cleaning industry in 15 years – a decision that will help protect all Californians.

The California Air Resources Board approved its staff plan to phase out the toxic dry cleaning chemical, perchloroethylene, also known as perc, by 2023.

 “For too long, dry cleaners have been hung out to dry by the chemical companies,” said Martin Schlageter, Campaign and Advocacy Director for the Coalition for Clean Air. “Today, the state charted a course for a greener and cleaner future for the garment care industry that will protect cleaners, their workers, customers and neighborhoods from this cancer-causing chemical.”

California Proposition 65 has classified perc as a chemical known to cause cancer. It is estimated to have contaminated 1 in 10 public drinking wells in California. And, according to federal EPA data, it is one of the top 10 most toxic air contaminants in the state. (See fact sheet.)

Today’s vote follows the Air Board’s decision last May to phase out perc, an action that will shape the future of the dry cleaning industry beyond California.

The Coalition for Clean Air was joined by more than 35 groups which lobbied for a stronger perc phaseout plan, including a faster phaseout of 10 years and a phaseout of hydrocarbon cleaners which cause smog. The groups include: Natural Resources Defense Council, California Communities Against Toxics, American Lung Association of California, Southern California Watershed Alliance, Worksafe and Physicians for Social Responsibility.

At Thursday’s Air Board hearing dozens of cleaners explained why they stopped using perc and have switched to nontoxic and non-polluting options like wet cleaning.

Thomas De Pippo of Garden Grove, Calif. said he had been a perc cleaner for 12 years. But in October 2005 one soil test changed his life. With the discovery of perc four feet under his store, he was stuck with a $200,000 cleanup. He had to dig into his life savings, emptying out his bank accounts and stocks to pay for it. His marriage dissolved.

Facing a bleak future, De Pippo decided to try wet cleaning. He was skeptical at first, but later he was pleased with the results. “I found it very rewarding,” De Pippo said. “There’s absolutely no odor to the clothes.” Sales are now up at his Julie’s Cleaners, a good sign, he said, of a bright future for his 14-year-old cleaning business.

Another cleaner, Peter Jung, of Plaza Cleaners in Thousand Oaks, Calif., said he had to switch to wet cleaning because his landlord wouldn’t rent to a perc cleaner. After using wet cleaning for nearly a year, Jung said he is saving 50% on electricity and 30% on gas bills.

Even more important, Jung said, is the future. “I am just one cleaner,” Jung said, “But think of the thousands of dry cleaners in the state of California and how much impact we all make. We all have the responsibility to do something.  Our generation will survive with this pollution, but what about our children and our grandchildren?”

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