Press Release

May 25 , 2006

Contact: Annette Kondo

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

Air Board Demands Statewide Phase Out of Cancer-Causing Chemical from Dry Cleaning; California Will Be First State in Nation to Take This Action
En Español

SACRAMENTO - Today, California is on its way to becoming the first state in the nation to eliminate the toxic chemical perchloroethylene from dry cleaning.

This toxic solvent, also known as “perc,” has been classified as a chemical known to cause cancer under California Proposition 65. A majority of facilities use this toxic chemical to clean clothes.

After testimony from dozens of clothes cleaners and speakers from environmental, health, community and governmental organizations, the California Air Resources Board (CARB) gave clear direction to their staff that they want a new proposal to phase out this toxic chemical. The CARB staff indicated it would take six months to develop the proposal. 

CARB board member Dorene D’Adamo led the calls for a phase-out because of concern for dry cleaning workers and customers and nearby communities, saying that perc “really and truly is a poison.”

Coalition for Clean Air President and CEO Tim Carmichael testified at Thursday’s hearing in Sacramento and said the Air Board’s decision puts California at the forefront of the nation in eliminating a carcinogen that has tainted air, soil and water wells across the country.

“As with many environmental issues in the past, California is a leader, and our hope is that other states, and the country as a whole, will follow California’s lead,” Carmichael said.

He added that it will be important to review the new proposal when it is completed in six months. “The Board is giving crystal clear direction that a phase-out is what they want. The Coalition for Clean Air and our allies will monitor the staff’s development of this new proposal to ensure that emission reduction is achieved in the near term, and the phase-out takes no longer than 15 years.”

In addition to being a carcinogen, perc can also cause: cracking or irritation of the skin; burns; headaches; dizziness; nausea; fainting; coughing; fluid buildup in the lungs; and damage to the central nervous system, kidneys, liver and reproductive system.

According to Environmental Protection Agency data, perc is one of the top 10 most toxic air contaminants in California. Statewide, the dry cleaning industry emits about 3 million pounds of perc per year into the air. It is also estimated that perc has contaminated one in 10 public drinking wells in the state.

Perc poses an unacceptable health risk to dry cleaners, their employees, their customers, and neighborhoods. The use of this hazardous chemical is also an environmental justice issue as most dry cleaners are small business owners and employees are predominately people of color.

Alternative garment care systems – professional wet cleaning and CO2 cleaning – are already available and being used successfully in California. These systems do not use toxic chemicals, relieving small businesses of the burden of hazardous chemical regulations, permits, fees, and disposal challenges. Most importantly, owners, workers, customers and neighbors are not exposed to perc.  New wet cleaning systems also cost substantially less than new perc systems.

 To help cleaners switch to safer alternatives like wet cleaning, state legislation, Assembly Bill 998 (authored by state Sen. Alan Lowenthal, D-Long Beach), was signed into law in January 2003.

 The AB 998 program directed the Air Board to:

• Apply a fee on the perc used in dry cleaning
• Use some of the funds to establish a demonstration program of non-toxic, non-smog forming alternatives, and,
• Use the additional funds for grants to cleaners which are making the transition to these safer alternatives.

To date, CARB has done a poor job of implementing the AB 998 program to help dry cleaners switch from perc. It has not: fully collected the fees, implemented a single demonstration, and it has made only 14 grants in a state with almost 5,000 dry cleaners, most of which use perc. Much better implementation of this program is critical to a successful phase-out.

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For more than 35 years, the non-profit Coalition for Clean Air has worked to restore clean air to California. With offices in Sacramento, Los Angeles and Fresno, it is focused on reducing pollution, protecting natural resources and strengthening the California environmental community.

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