EPA restricts cancer-causing chemicals TCE, PCE found in Long Island groundwater
Grumman used TCE extensively for years, including discharging TCE wastewater and rags soaked with the solvent into the ground on what became Bethpage Community Park. Credit: Newsday/J. Conrad Williams Jr.
The federal government’s decision this week to ban or strictly limit use of two toxic chemicals known to cause cancer will restrict a pair of pollutants that have contaminated Long Island's groundwater for decades, advocates said.
The chemicals — trichloroethylene, or TCE, and perchloroethylene, or PCE — are found in both household and commercial products such as spot cleaners, paint removers, degreasing solvents, spray adhesives and are used in the dry cleaning process. They also have been linked to cancers of the kidney, liver and immune system, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.
"It’s a long-overdue but most-welcome holiday present for everyone who cares about public health protection," said Eric Goldstein, senior attorney at Natural Resources Defense Council, an international environmental advocacy group based in New York City. "This ensures that two of the nastiest toxic compounds are eliminated from virtually all industrial and commercial uses."
TCE is the most prevalent contaminant in the Grumman plume, a steady spread of contamination under the former Grumman Aerospace facility in Bethpage. Newsday has reported that Grumman used TCE extensively for years, in degreasing vats, storage tanks and spray guns on site, as well as discharging TCE wastewater and rags soaked with the solvent into the ground on the property that became Bethpage Community Park.
"The dangers have been known for decades," Goldstein said. "Even when they end their use, they may still be affecting us. Of course, Long Island’s drinking water is at risk because of the aquifers and the ability of these solvents to leach into groundwater."
In 2020, the State Legislature passed a bill that barred TCE from many industrial uses. The EPA’s action on Monday was more sweeping, with rules that would prohibit most use of TCE within one year, "including TCE manufacture and processing for most commercial and all consumer products."
Some of the industrial uses such as cleaning parts in aircraft and medical devices will continue but eventually be phased out, the agency said.
Use of PCE in dry cleaning will be phased out over the next 10 years. And companies are being required to "rapidly phase down manufacturing, processing and distribution of PCE for all consumer use and many uses at industrial and commercial workplaces, most of which will be fully phased out in less than three years," according to the new rule.
Department of Environmental Conservation officials said about 600 of the 1,000 dry cleaning facilities currently operating in New York State use PCE as a solvent. The agency said that is a dramatic drop from the 4,600 facilities that used PCE in the 1990s.
"This doesn’t magically clean up all of the legacy waste that's underground," said Adrienne Esposito, executive director and a co-founder of Citizens Campaign for the Environment, based in Farmingdale. "It prevents additional exposure, not only to groundwater and to soil, but also to humans in the form of wearing their dry clean pants or dresses ... So it definitely diminishes exposure to the public."
Robert Simon, vice president of chemical products and technology at the American Chemical Council, said in a statement Tuesday that while changes made by the EPA for phaseouts will help, "there are still challenges ahead to allow industries to transition without disrupting supply chains or critical infrastructure."
After the proposed changes to limit the chemicals was first unveiled over a year ago, the Dry Cleaning and Laundry Institute, a trade group, expressed concerns about the economic impact on its members, pointing out that more than one-third of dry cleaners shut down after the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
"While EPA decided to phaseout Perc, they did so with an extended phaseout window and without any additional burden to Perc drycleaners, including additional management practices and testing," the company said in a statement on its website.
The federal government’s decision this week to ban or strictly limit use of two toxic chemicals known to cause cancer will restrict a pair of pollutants that have contaminated Long Island's groundwater for decades, advocates said.
The chemicals — trichloroethylene, or TCE, and perchloroethylene, or PCE — are found in both household and commercial products such as spot cleaners, paint removers, degreasing solvents, spray adhesives and are used in the dry cleaning process. They also have been linked to cancers of the kidney, liver and immune system, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.
"It’s a long-overdue but most-welcome holiday present for everyone who cares about public health protection," said Eric Goldstein, senior attorney at Natural Resources Defense Council, an international environmental advocacy group based in New York City. "This ensures that two of the nastiest toxic compounds are eliminated from virtually all industrial and commercial uses."
TCE is the most prevalent contaminant in the Grumman plume, a steady spread of contamination under the former Grumman Aerospace facility in Bethpage. Newsday has reported that Grumman used TCE extensively for years, in degreasing vats, storage tanks and spray guns on site, as well as discharging TCE wastewater and rags soaked with the solvent into the ground on the property that became Bethpage Community Park.
"The dangers have been known for decades," Goldstein said. "Even when they end their use, they may still be affecting us. Of course, Long Island’s drinking water is at risk because of the aquifers and the ability of these solvents to leach into groundwater."
In 2020, the State Legislature passed a bill that barred TCE from many industrial uses. The EPA’s action on Monday was more sweeping, with rules that would prohibit most use of TCE within one year, "including TCE manufacture and processing for most commercial and all consumer products."
Some of the industrial uses such as cleaning parts in aircraft and medical devices will continue but eventually be phased out, the agency said.
Use of PCE in dry cleaning will be phased out over the next 10 years. And companies are being required to "rapidly phase down manufacturing, processing and distribution of PCE for all consumer use and many uses at industrial and commercial workplaces, most of which will be fully phased out in less than three years," according to the new rule.
Department of Environmental Conservation officials said about 600 of the 1,000 dry cleaning facilities currently operating in New York State use PCE as a solvent. The agency said that is a dramatic drop from the 4,600 facilities that used PCE in the 1990s.
"This doesn’t magically clean up all of the legacy waste that's underground," said Adrienne Esposito, executive director and a co-founder of Citizens Campaign for the Environment, based in Farmingdale. "It prevents additional exposure, not only to groundwater and to soil, but also to humans in the form of wearing their dry clean pants or dresses ... So it definitely diminishes exposure to the public."
Robert Simon, vice president of chemical products and technology at the American Chemical Council, said in a statement Tuesday that while changes made by the EPA for phaseouts will help, "there are still challenges ahead to allow industries to transition without disrupting supply chains or critical infrastructure."
After the proposed changes to limit the chemicals was first unveiled over a year ago, the Dry Cleaning and Laundry Institute, a trade group, expressed concerns about the economic impact on its members, pointing out that more than one-third of dry cleaners shut down after the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
"While EPA decided to phaseout Perc, they did so with an extended phaseout window and without any additional burden to Perc drycleaners, including additional management practices and testing," the company said in a statement on its website.
Lisa joined Newsday as a staff writer in 2019. She previously worked at amNewYork, the New York Daily News and the Asbury Park Press covering politics, government and general assignment.
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Newsday Live Music Series: Long Island Idols Newsday Live presents a special evening of music and conversation with local singers who grabbed the national spotlight on shows like "The Voice," "America's Got Talent,""The X-Factor" and "American Idol." Newsday Senior Lifestyle Host Elisa DiStefano leads a discussion and audience Q&A as the singers discuss their TV experiences, careers and perform original songs.
