Massachusetts Sen. Edward Markey (left) supports Ann Anderson, who lost her son to leukemia in 1981 after being exposed to water contaminated with the chemical trichlorethylene (TCE). The two met on Monday, October 23, 2023, in Woburn, Massachusetts, at an EPA press conference announcing the proposal to ban the chemical. (AP Photo/Michael Casey)
Michael Casey Associated Press
WOBURN, Mass. (AP) – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on Monday proposed banning the carcinogenic chemical trichlorethylene in consumer products such as car brake cleaners, furniture care and spray coatings on arts and crafts. .
The move would end a nearly 40-year fight to ban the chemical known as TCE. The chemical can cause sudden death and kidney cancer when people are exposed to high concentrations, and even low exposure over long periods of time can cause other neurological damage.
The EPA’s recent risk assessment study found that the United States still produces as much as 250 million pounds of TCE annually. One of the first places this chemical caused concern was Massachusetts, where it was linked to contaminated drinking water in the city of Woburn. Eventually his two locations there were designated as major Superfund sites. Monday’s press conference was one of them, held in what now serves as a transportation center.
“For too long, TCE has left a harmful legacy in communities across America,” said Michal Friedhoff, deputy administrator in EPA’s Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention. “Today, EPA is taking a major step to protect people from exposure to this carcinogenic chemical.”
Massachusetts Sen. Edward Markey, who has been leading the effort to ban TCE, welcomed the move.
“With this rule, we can see a future where there is no manufacturing, processing, or distribution of chemicals known to be deadly,” Markey said. “We will no longer expose American families, communities, and workers to a legacy of toxic chemicals that leave questions, cancer, and disaster in their wake.”
Markey called the effort personal, citing his years of work with Ann Anderson. Ann Anderson is a resident-turned-activist who lost his son Jimmy to leukemia in 1981.
“Since Anne and I met in 1980, we have worked to clean up Woburn, bring justice to her son, and ensure that no other family sees their children get sick as a result of pollution. We have been working as partners to achieve this goal,” Markey said. “Thanks to Ann Anderson’s advocacy and EPA’s actions, the days of companies using communities like Woburn as dumping grounds for harmful TCE are over.” A 1982 lawsuit over contaminated water supplies said. , eight members of the Woburn family were involved, including the Anderson family. The case gained national attention and led to a book and film titled “A Civil Action.”
The American Chemistry Council said in a statement that TCE has several important uses in product packaging and formulation. The council said the proposed rule is “inconsistent with the underlying science” and urged EPA to avoid unnecessarily restricting the chemical’s valuable industrial uses.
“EPA must base its risk management proposals on the best available science, including accurate assessments of exposure,” the industry group said. “If the use of a chemical decreases over time, this must be reflected in EPA’s underlying risk assessment because the reduced use reduces potential exposure.”
Meanwhile, environmental groups praised the proposed rules, which will take effect within a year.
“EPA followed the science, listened to affected communities, and proposed one of the strongest chemical regulations in recent history,” Earthjustice Senior Attorney Jonathan Kalmus Katz said in a statement. . “Some chemicals are too harmful to be released on the market.”
TCE is used in the manufacture of refrigerants and as a solvent to remove grease from metal parts. It is also used in carpet cleaners, laundry stain removers, and horse hoof polishes. The EPA found that the chemical poses an “unreasonable risk of harm to health or the environment” in 52 out of 54 uses in industrial and consumer products.
“I’m overwhelmed that you’re here and acknowledging everything that’s happened and how all the bad things have changed for the better,” Anderson said. “I am so grateful to everyone who continues to fight to keep everyone safe and ensure that toxic chemicals like TCE no longer exist.”
The proposed ban would extend the EPA’s regulatory authority under a landmark 2016 law that overhauled the rules regulating tens of thousands of toxic chemicals in everyday products, from household cleaners to clothing and furniture. It stems from a significant expansion.
The law authorized new rules for tens of thousands of toxic chemicals in everyday products, including substances such as asbestos and TCE. These chemicals have been known to cause cancer for decades, but are largely unregulated under federal law. The law, known as the Frank Lautenberg Chemical Safety Act, was intended to clean up the patchwork of state regulations governing chemicals and update the Toxic Substances Control Act of 1976.
The 2016 law required the EPA to evaluate chemicals and put in place protections against unreasonable risks. The agency moved last year to ban asbestos and has also proposed bans on methylene chloride, perchloroethylene and carbon tetrachloride.
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Associated Press writer Matthew Daly in Washington contributed to this report.