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I want to tell you about a chemical called PCE or perchloroethylene, sometimes called tetrachloroethylene.
How is PCE used?
Historically PCE has been used as a dry cleaning agent and as an industrial degreaser to clean parts in factories.
How does PCE get into the environment?
At dry cleaners or industrial plants, PCE is dumped or spilled onto the ground and left to bleed into the soil and down into the groundwater. PCE can also be created when TCE biodegrades over time. Sometimes you also see PCE that was buried in landfills bleed down into the ground and contaminate the groundwater below. When PCE gets into groundwater, that is when it is a real threat to human beings.
How are people exposed to PCE?
PCE in groundwater can get up into people's homes if families have private wells that get their water directly from the groundwater. If that groundwater is contaminated with PCE, then that is what is coming out of the kitchen sink and the showerhead. Also, PCE can come into contact with people through vapor intrusion. That is when the PCE in groundwater, turns into a gas, comes back up through the soil and slips into the breathing air of nearby homes or businesses through cracks in the foundation. Because PCE is colorless and virtually odorless, people can be drinking it, breathing it and showering in it, and never know. So it is dangerous in that regard.
What are the health effects of PCE exposure?
First of all, there is no safe level of PCE. Government agencies in the U.S. say that PCE is a likely carcinogen, most notably associated with leukemia, non-hodgkin's lymphoma, and skin, lung, colon and bladder cancer. In addition, it disrupts the immune system and makes it more difficult for the body to process toxins. This is especially true for children who have developing immune systems.
If you believe that PCE is in your environment, possibly in your water or the air in your home, you need to take all the steps you can to remove this threat to your family. For more information, please read The Collins Law Firm blog on PCE at http://ow.ly/Ll0F30apjGa or call attorney Shawn Collins at (630) 527-1595.