Workers, perchloroethylene exposure

Eskenazi B, W5Tobek AJ, Fenster L, et al. 1991b. A study of the effect of perchloroethylene exposure on semen quality in dry cleaning workers. American Journal of Industrial Medicine 20 575-591. 

Solet D, Robins TG, Sampaio C. 1990. Perchloroethylene exposure assessment among dry cleaning workers. Am Ind Hyg Assoc J 51(10) 566-574... 

In one study of workers at a solvent production plant who breathed hexachlorobutadiene for long periods, the compound was shown to affect the function of the liver. Because the workers were also exposed to other solvents (carbon tetrachloride and perchloroethylene), it is not certain if this effect was caused by hexachlorobutadiene alone. Studies in mice showed that brief exposure to high concentrations of hexachlorobutadiene irritate the nose. The effects of breathing low levels of hexachlorobutadiene are not known. 

Hepatic Effects. Data in humans are limited to one study which reported significant dose-related increases in the concentration of serum bile acids in workers after inhalation exposure to hexachlorobutadiene (0.005-0.02 ppm) (Driscoll et al. 1992). The practical importance of this finding is reduced because workers were also potentially exposed to other solvents (carbon tetrachloride and perchloroethylene) and background information on other confounding variables was minimal. No studies were located regarding other hepatic effects in humans. 

Despite the widespread use, there are many health, safety, and environmental concerns associated with the use of perc. Perchloroethylene has been described as a probable human carcinogen based on both laboratory animal studies and human epidemiological studies (IARC, 1995). According to the USEPA (1998), there is a reasonable basis to conclude that there can be a health risk for cancer and some non-cancer effects to workers from the relatively high PCE exposures observed on the average in the dry cleaning industry. Risks also exist for apartment residents colocated with a perc dry cleaning facility. 

Ludwig HR, Meister MV, Roberts DR, et al. 1983. Worker exposure to perchloroethylene in the commercial dry cleaning industry. Am Ind Hyg Assoc J 44 600-605. 

Thompson KM, Evans JS. 1993. Workers breath as a source of perchloroethylene (perc) in the home. Journal of Exposure Analysis and Environmental Epidemiology 3(4) 417-430. 

Perchloroethylene also faces tightening usage controls as a result of toxicity concerns. The industry is responding to this challenge by engineering hardware solutions modern closed circuit units are designed to minimise solvent losses (thus reducing potential worker exposure). 

Lockey et al. (1987) described a 47-year-old woman with previously excellent health who developed fatal SSc after a single 2.5-h predominantly dermal exposure to trichloroethylene. During a period of 10 months, the patient developed proximal scleroderma, reflux esophagitis, microangiopathic hemolytic anemia, restrictive pulmonary disease, pericarditis with effusion, and renal insufficiency with severe hypertension. Renal and skin biopsies were consistent with SSc. An additional case of SSc in a 51-year-old female worker has been presented, who developed SSc after 15 years of exposure to perchloroethylene (Szeimies et al. 1992). 

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