4 minute read
Back In The Day | How WWII Changed Dry Cleaning & The Environment
Jody Irland
Jody Irland is a learning specialist with the DNR.
In the 1940s, many family-run dry cleaners found they needed to make a change to how they operated. The U.S. military was fighting World War II and trichloroethylene, known as TCE, was being used more and more as a helpful agent to clean weapons and produce metal parts for the soldiers overseas.
The problem for dry cleaners was that TCE was their preferred chemical. It wasn’t flammable like the gasoline that had previously been used.
But everyone had a role to play in supporting the war effort. Some people started victory gardens, and others participated by collecting scrap metal and even aluminum foil gum wrappers as part of “Salvage for Victory” initiatives. Dry cleaners would do their part by finding alternative solutions for their businesses, allowing TCE supplies to be prioritized for the war efforts.
As a result, these businesses turned to perchloroethylene. What wasn’t known at the time were the unintended consequences of PCE on the environment and the health of our communities for decades to come.
CONCERNS THAT LINGER
Even a small spill or leak of dry cleaning chemicals matters. A gasket that leaks just once each second can release hundreds of gallons of solvent in a single year. And it doesn’t just disappear — PCE can exist in the ground for decades because it doesn’t degrade easily and can spread beyond the original spill, sometimes even entering groundwater.
In the 2000s, it became widely recognized that historical dry cleaning chemical spills and disposal also could result in unhealthy indoor air quality conditions. Vapors emanating from contaminated soil, groundwater or sanitary sewers can enter a building, typically through cracks or gaps in the foundation. This is called vapor intrusion.
The vapors bring chemicals into the indoor air, which can cause unsafe indoor air quality and result in adverse health effects to building occupants. The contaminated vapors are often odorless and colorless, making them hard to identify without special testing.
The good news is the dry cleaning industry has improved substantially in the past century. Developments in eco-friendly cleaning solutions and better regulations have added to a significant reduction in the amount of PCE used today.
However, many former dry cleaner locations have since been redeveloped into different businesses, and spills or leaks of those chemicals may continue to hide below the surface.
DNR INVOLVEMENT
The Wisconsin DNR is a national leader in addressing vapor intrusion from historical dry cleaning operations, thanks to an internal team created in the 1990s to help investigate and clean up properties that left behind contamination. The team provides training and resources to the public, from environmental scientists who help clean up contaminated sites to people who might be affected by vapor intrusion.
The DNR also is working on a project to identify the locations of former dry cleaners in Wisconsin. And in collaboration with the Wisconsin Department of Health Services, the DNR has created the Vapor Intrusion Prevention & Partnership Toolkit. The goal is to help inform communities about vapor intrusion and provide resources for assessing and minimizing risks.
Although the historical use of PCE in dry cleaning has had unintended negative and lasting implications for human and environmental safety, the DNR continues to identify new ways to work with partners to mitigate risk, create public awareness and identify potential areas of concern regarding vapor intrusion.
LEARN MORE
For details on vapor intrusion, including help for property owners and building occupants, visit dnr.wi.gov/topic/vapor.
