Dry cleaning 'supply' cancer pathogens?

In the laundry industry, there are two main methods: regular 'water' washing and 'dry' washing, also called steaming, for washing wool or felting. But recently, two French environmental protection associations have spoken out, saying that perchlorethylene, solvents used a lot in 'dry' washing machines are a very dangerous chemical that can cause cancer. letter.

Based on a number of scientific studies, the Health - Environment Network (Réseau santé environnement) and the Association of Future Generations (Générations futures) have highlighted the harmful effects of perchlorethylene (also known as PERC ), a substance Very strong eraser is sprayed on clothes to clean. The two associations identified that this detergent is very toxic for those who have access to it, from employees working in laundry facilities to residents living around.

When opening the machine after washing, PERC vapor escapes from the machine and this inhaler is not only a direct employee of the washing job but also those who live in apartments above the washing facility due to steam rising. , through the ceiling - including concrete. According to the study, the steam may rise to the third or fourth floor. The laundry facility's neighbors, passers-by and customers who bring clothes to the laundry are also frequently exposed to this chemical.

According to André Cicolella, of the Health-Environment Network, quoted by AFP, the standard accepted by the World Health Organization is 250 micrograms / m ³ , but people living around dry cleaning facilities average exposure to concentrations of 2,000 micrograms / m ³ . The reason is that environmental organizations have to raise their voices because there has recently been a death due to inhalation of PERC vapor. The victim is José-Anne Bernard, who is over 70 years old and died in 2009.

Bernard resides in the city of Nice (southern France) in an apartment on a laundry facility. According to his son, an autopsy revealed that he was infected with PERC in all body parts, except the stomach. It is determined that the victim died of this chemical infection, not because he or she was mistaken. The laundry facility manager was prosecuted in September 2011 for manslaughter and the investigation is still ongoing.

For Mr. Francois Veillerette, a spokesman for Future Generation, the current standards in France are not enough to protect people's health from the harmful effects of toxic chemicals such as PERC. He specifically stressed that the United States had "strong measures" to boycott this substance, as well as Denmark since 2003.

PERC substances used in dry cleaning technology can cause cancer, even death.

According to a spokesman for the Environmental Protection Association, things that need to be done are not difficult to implement. According to Mr. Veillerette, there are currently three feasible options for replacing PERC: using water and steam; use siloxane, a less toxic solvent; or use carbon at low temperatures.

The problem that environmental protection organizations require is to strictly prohibit the use of PERC substances, which the government has so far dismissed, but only seeks to consolidate regulations that limit the spread of steam. This toxic, at the same time prohibiting the installation of new laundry facilities adjacent to the housing area.

Environmental organizations are of course unsatisfied with the above decisions. They said they found about a dozen similar cases like Mr. Bernard's case. In the short term, they have filed a complaint in Bernard's case and if PERC substance is not banned, they will sue the State for the lack of protection of people's health.

Under normal temperature, PERC in liquid state does not catch fire but is also very volatile and mixed in air. The higher the temperature, the stronger the evaporation and create an unpleasant odor like ether.

This chemical penetrates the environment by evaporating into the air when used in industry or infiltrating into soil and water when it is lost from washing machines or containers. Previously, dry cleaners were allowed to discharge dirty water from washing machines into local sewers.

According to the government, up to 25% of drinking water in the United States is infected with PERC. Every year, 200 million kg of PERC is used by nearly 35,000 laundry shops in the United States, some of them mixed in the air and surrounding land and water.

Some household materials also contain PERC such as Water repellent, stain removers, adhesive tape, wood cleaning chemicals.

In medicine, PERC is used as an anesthetic during surgery because it makes the patient unconscious. It is possible to measure the amount of PERC vapor in the breath, like measuring alcohol content in alcoholic drinkers.