[OKC] From the Green Lantern: Dirty Laundry

[Miles, Karen]

the green lantern 


Dirty Laundry


Should I give up dry cleaning?


By Nina Shen Rastogi
Posted Tuesday, March 9, 2010, at 7:23 AM ET 

________________________________

I live around the corner from a dry cleaner, but there's also a "green"
dry cleaner on the other side of town. Am I total jerk if I keep going
to my regular spot?

The problem with traditional dry cleaning is a liquid solvent called
"perc," short for perchloroethylene. (Despite the moniker, dry cleaning
isn't really dry; it just doesn't involve water.) Perc is what dissolves
the gunk off of your clothes. It's highly effective without being
labor-intensive and-unlike the cleaning chemicals of old-it's not likely
to burst into flames. That's why cleaners have been using it for the
past 50 years. 

People have been concerned about the chemical's health risks since the
1970s. Perchloroethylene (also known as tetrachloroethylene) is
considered a toxic air pollutant
<http://www.epa.gov/oar/toxicair/newtoxics.html>  by the EPA, meaning
that it's "known or suspected to cause cancer or other serious health
effects." Short, intense blasts of perc can cause dizziness, headaches,
or loss of consciousness
<http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/toxprofiles/phs18.html> . But how dangerous is
long-term exposure? Indoor and outdoor air usually contains a few
micrograms of perc per cubic meter. At those background levels, the New
York State Department of Health estimates that there's a theoretical
risk of up to five additional people in 1 million developing cancer
after a lifetime of exposure. (Some agencies have calculated slightly
higher risks; California's Air Resources Board, for example, estimates
an additional six to 30 cases of cancer at those background levels.)

Article continues at URL: http://www.slate.com/id/2245832/

 

Copyright 2010 Washingtonpost.Newsweek Interactive Co. LLC

 

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