Perc banned in California. (Updates).In a decision last December that may set a national precedent, Southern California Southern California, also colloquially known as SoCal, is the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. Centered on the cities of Los Angeles and San Diego, Southern California is home to nearly 24 million people and is the nation's second most populated region, air-quality officials voted unanimously to impose the nation's first ban on perchloroethylene per·chlor·o·eth·yl·ene n. Abbr. PCE A colorless, nonflammable organic solvent, Cl2C:CCl2, used in dry-cleaning solutions and as an industrial solvent. , also known as "perc." A common chemical used in dry cleaning dry cleaning, process of cleaning fabrics without water. Special solvents and soaps are used so as not to harm fabrics and dyes that will not withstand the effects of ordinary soap and water. Dry cleaning began in France about the middle of the 19th cent. , perc is a toxic air contaminant contaminant /con·tam·i·nant/ (kon-tam´in-int) something that causes contamination. contaminant something that causes contamination. and major groundwater pollutant. Studies have linked long-term perc exposure to kidney and liver damage and increased risk of cancer. The vote requires phasing out of perc dry cleaning by 2020 in Los Angeles. Cleaners currently using the chemical will also have to upgrade their technology by 2007 to reduce perc emissions. The air-quality board also approved $2 million in grants to aid dry cleaners that switch to a nontoxic alternative, including "wet cleaning" (see "Greener Cleaners," Currents, September/October 2000). Owners of dry cleaners in the region, many of them Korean-Americans, have voiced objection to the new ban, citing high costs. CONTACT: South Coast Air Quality Management District The South Coast Air Quality Management District (SCAQMD), formed in 1976, is the air pollution agency responsible mainly for regulating stationary sources of air pollution for most of Los Angeles, San Bernardino, Riverside County, and all of Orange county. , (800)CUT-SMOG, www.aqmd.gov. |
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