Trichloroethylene (TCE)

1
Trichloroethylene (TCE)

• What Is It?
• How Does It Work?
• Why Is It Dangerous?
• How Should We Deal With It?
• Presented By
• Bruce-Sean Reshen
• The MGP Group
• August 3, 2005

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What Is Trichloroethylene?

• A non-flammable, colorless liquid with a mildly
  sweet odor a sweet, burning taste
• It is used mainly as a solvent to remove grease
  from metal parts
• Also an ingredient in adhesives, paint removers,
  typewriter correction fluids and spot removers
• Not naturally occurring, but found in both
  surface ground water as a result of its
  manufacture, use and disposal

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Industrial History of TCE

• TCE is a good solvent for organic materials
• First widely produced in the 1920s major use was
  to extract vegetable oils from plants such as
  soy, coconut and palm
• Other food related uses coffee decaffeination,
  preparation of flavoring extracts from Spices
• Due to concerns about its toxicity, use of TCE
  banned in the food and pharmaceutical industries
  since 1970
• Still being used as a solvent in parts of the
  world

4
TCE and the Environment

• TCE dissolves a only a little in water, but can
  remain in ground water for a long time
• TCE quickly evaporates from surface water, so it
  is commonly found as a vapor in the air
• TCE evaporates less easily from soil than surface
  water It sticks to particles and remains a long
  time
• TCE may stick to particles in water and settle in
  bottom sediments
• TCE does not build up significantly in plants
  animals

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How are People Exposed to TCE?

• Breathing air in the home which has been
  contaminated with TCE vapors from shower water or
  household products
• Drinking, swimming or showering in water which
  has been contaminated with TCE
• Contact with soil contaminated with TCE
• Contact with the skin and/or breathing in vapors
  while using TCE in home or work

6
The MGP Group

• Mission To develop programs supporting
  brownfields redevelopment
• The Guardian Trust program for long term
  stewardship of LUCs and ECs
• State sponsored insurance programs
• Secondary loan markets for brownfields
• State registry database programs

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TCE and Human Health

• Breathing small amounts of TCE may cause
  headaches, lung irritation, dizziness, poor
  coordination and difficulty concentrating
• Breathing large amounts of TCE may cause impaired
  heart function, unconsciousness and death
• Breathing large amounts of TCE for long periods
  may cause nerve, kidney and liver damage

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TCE and Human Health

• Drinking large amounts of TCE may cause nausea,
  liver damage, unconsciousness, impaired heart
  function and death
• Drinking large amounts of TCE for long periods of
  time may cause kidney and liver damage, impaired
  immune system function and impaired fetal
  development (though the extent is not yet clear)
• Skin contact with TCE for short periods of time
  may cause skin rashes

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Does TCE Cause Cancer?

• Some studies in mice and rats have suggested that
  high levels of TCE may cause kidney, liver or
  lung cancer
• Some studies of people exposed over long periods
  to high levels of TCE in drinking water or in
  workplace air have found evidence of increased
  cancer rates

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Does TCE Cause Cancer?

• The National Toxicology Program determined that
  TCE is reasonably anticipated to be a human
  carcinogen
• The International Agency for Research on Cancer
  has determined that TCE is probably carcinogenic
  to humans

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Is There a Test to Determine Exposure to TCE?

• Recent exposure to TCE can be detected in the
  breath, blood and urine.
• Exposure to large amounts of TCE can be assessed
  by blood and urine tests which can detect TCE and
  its breakdown products for up to a week after
  exposure
• Proof not absolute since similar chemicals can
  produce the same breakdown products

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Government Recommendations to Protect Human Health

• The EPA has set a maximum contaminant level (MCL)
  for TCE in drinking water at 0.005 milligrams per
  liter or 5 parts per billion parts water
• The Occupational Safety and Health Administration
  (OSHA) has set an exposure limit of 100 parts of
  TCE per million parts of air for an 8-hour
  workday, 40 hour workweek

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References

• Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry
  (ATSDR), 2003, Managing Hazardous Materials
  Incidents, Volume III- Medical Management
  Guidelines for Acute Chemical Exposures TCE,
  Atlanta, GA, US Department of Health and Human
  Services, Public Health Service, and
• ATSDR, 1997, Toxicology Profile for TCE, Atlanta,
  GA, USDHHS, PHS

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Dealing With The Impact of TCE

• Education in the care and safety of using solvent
  products
• Screening in both homes and the workplace for
  high levels of TCE
• Medical toxicology screening (especially
  children) for at risk individuals
• Developing ongoing programs of inspection,
  monitoring reporting where there is evidence of
  TCE use