EPA Proposes Long-Awaited Ban On Cancer-Causing TCEs

EPA Proposes Long-Awaited Ban On Cancer-Causing TCEs

EPA Proposes Long-Awaited Ban, On Cancer-Causing TCEs.

On October 23, the United States Environmental Protection Agency proposed a ban on a cancer-causing chemical found in an array of consumer products.

.

On October 23, the United States Environmental Protection Agency proposed a ban on a cancer-causing chemical found in an array of consumer products.

.

ABC reports that trichloroethylene (TCE) can be found in everything from automobile brake cleaners and furniture care products to spray coatings for arts and crafts.

ABC reports that trichloroethylene (TCE) can be found in everything from automobile brake cleaners and furniture care products to spray coatings for arts and crafts.

The ban would end nearly forty years of fighting to ban TCE, which can cause neurological harm even at lower exposure levels over a long period of time.

At higher levels of exposure, TCE can cause sudden death or kidney cancer.

According to the EPA, as much as 250 million pounds of TCE are produced by the U.S. every year.

In Massachusetts, TCE was linked to contaminated water in the city of Woburn, where two locations were ultimately deemed to be massive Superfund sites.

For far too long, TCE has left a toxic legacy in communities across America, Michal Freedhoff, EPA assistant administrator for the Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention, via ABC.

Today, EPA is taking a major step to protect people from exposure to this cancer-causing chemical, Michal Freedhoff, EPA assistant administrator for the Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention, via ABC.

ABC reports that environmental groups have praised the proposed TCE ban, which would go into effect in 2024.

EPA followed the science, listened to impacted communities, and proposed one of the strongest chemical regulations in recent history.

Some chemicals are simply too harmful to remain on the market, Jonathan Kalmuss-Katz, Earthjustice Senior Attorney, via ABC