[CPEO-BIF] TCE in consumer products

[Lenny Siegel <lsiegel@cpeo.org>]

Toxins for sale 
Hunted by EPA, solvent still easy to find on store shelves 

By Jon Wiener 
Mountain View Voice (CA)
February 11, 2005

A toxic solvent that private companies have spent millions of dollars to
remove from Mountain View's ground water is more likely to enter homes
through the front door than through cracks in the foundation, and
government officials are starting to take notice. 

The chemical trichloroethylene (TCE), a suspected carcinogen that is the
subject of federally-mandated investigations and cleanups throughout the
city, is a main ingredient in solvents available for purchase at home
improvement and auto parts stores. One byproduct of the pollutant is
also the chemical of choice for dry-cleaners throughout the city. 

"People shouldn't be breathing this stuff. If we're going after
polluters, we should do our best to remove it from our consumer
products," said Lenny Siegel, a community activist and a national expert
on TCE clean-up efforts. 

New rules in the works? 

Mountain View City Council member Greg Perry, a regular attendee at
citizens group meetings that deal with TCE pollution, agreed with
Siegel. He is pushing for stricter labeling requirements and has
suggested he might even pursue a localized ban on the sale of TCE
products. A county legislative committee is looking into the issue at
Perry's behest. 

...

For the entire article, see
http://www.mv-voice.com/morgue/2005/2005_02_11.tce.shtml

-- 


Lenny Siegel
Director, Center for Public Environmental Oversight
c/o PSC, 278-A Hope St., Mountain View, CA 94041
Voice: 650/961-8918 or 650/969-1545
Fax: 650/961-8918
<lsiegel@cpeo.org>
http://www.cpeo.org
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