[CPEO-BIF] Perc phase-out proposed in Illinois

[Lenny Siegel <lsiegel@cpeo.org>]

State taking steps to phase out dry cleaning chemical
Legislative proposal would limit perchloroethylene in 2013 and ban it by 
2026

By Michael Hawthorne
Chicago Tribune (IL)
March 14, 2010

Illinois is moving to phase out the use of perchloroethylene, or perc, a 
common dry-cleaning chemical linked to cancer, liver damage and 
neurological problems.

Under legislation pushed by Gov. Pat Quinn's administration, dry 
cleaners would be banned from installing new perc machines after this 
year and from using the chemical in residential buildings by 2013. All 
perc use would be outlawed in 2026, giving businesses time to switch to 
other cleaning methods.

Concerns about perc have been growing for years. The widespread 
contamination of groundwater from dry-cleaner spills came into sharper 
focus last year after the Tribune reported that residents of south 
suburban Crestwood unwittingly drank water contaminated with perc and 
related chemicals for more than two decades.

...

For the entire article, see
http://www.chicagotribune.com/health/ct-met-perc-chemical-20100312,0,7779168.story


--


Lenny Siegel
Executive Director, Center for Public Environmental Oversight
a project of the Pacific Studies Center
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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