Know Your Environment. Protect Your Health.

Tetrachloroethylene (perchloroethylene)

Brookfield Housing Authority

Dry cleaning chemical tetrachloroethylene, or perc, can cause cancer. It pollutes soil and groundwater due to emissions from dry cleaning facilities, and automotive, metalworking and other industries. Read More.

The EPA considers tetrachloroethylene a likely human carcinogen. It has been linked with increased incidence of lung, breast and colon cancers. Tetrachloroethylene also damages the liver, kidneys and central nervous system. The California public health goal of 0.06 parts per billion, set to protect against cancer, is 80 times lower than the amount allowed by the federal government, which is a Maximum Contaminant Level of 5 parts per billion.

Click here to read more about carcinogenic VOCs.

 

23

Samples

0

Samples exceeding legal limit (MCL)

0

Samples exceeding
health guidelines

Testing results - average by year

 
YearAverage resultSamples takenDetectionsRange of results
2018ND40ND
2019ND40ND
2020ND50ND
2021ND40ND
2022ND30ND
2023ND30ND

ppb = parts per billion

State, National, and Health Guidelines for Drinking Water

EWG Health Guideline: 0.06 ppb

The EWG Health Guideline of 0.06 ppb for tetrachloroethylene was defined by the California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment as a public health goal, the level of a drinking water contaminant that does not pose a significant health risk. This health guideline protects against cancer.

EPA Maximum Contaminant
Level (MCL): 5 ppb

The legal limit for tetrachloroethylene, established in 1991, was based on analytical detection limits at the time that the standard was set. This limit does not fully protect against the risk of cancer due to tetrachloroethylene exposure.

ppb = parts per billion

All test results

Date Lab ID Result
2018-01-02308185GEND
2018-04-05310856GEND
2018-07-02313763GEND
2018-10-25317823GEND
2019-01-10320037GEND
2019-05-06323389GEND
2019-07-18325957GEND
2019-10-02328544GEND
2020-01-02330908GEND
2020-02-12332070GEND
2020-04-01333235GEND
2020-07-06336108GEND
2020-10-20339922GEND
2021-01-06341688ND
2021-04-09343983ND
2021-07-13346732ND
2021-10-07349648ND
2022-01-04351433ND
2022-04-05352810ND
2022-07-28420-230863-2ND
2023-05-25N3E1051-01PPSND
2023-07-21N3G0752-01ND
2023-11-17N3K0563-01ND