Drycleaning Environmental and Health Issues and Resources for Owners and Operators of Dry Cleaning Facilities

Published Articles

	An Evaluation of Retrofit Engineering Control Interventions to Reduce Perchloroethylene Exposures in Commercial Drycleaning Shops. Appl Occup Environ Hyg - In Press  (abstract--bibliographic information only) Real-time monitoring was used to evaluate the ability of engineering control devices retrofitted on two existing dry-cleaning machines to reduce worker exposures to perchloroethylene. In one dry-cleaning shop, a refrigerated condenser was installed on a machine that had a water-cooled condenser to reduce the air temperature, improve vapor recovery, and lower exposures. In a second shop, a carbon adsorber was retrofitted on a machine to adsorb residual perchloroethylene not collected by the existing refrigerated condenser to improve vapor recovery and reduce exposures.
	Mortality in dry-cleaning workers: an update. Am J Indus Med 39: 121-132.   (abstract--bibliographic information only) Background: A cohort of 1,708 dry-cleaning workers identified from union records, was exposed to perchloroethylene (PCE), a known animal carcinogen and probable human carcinogen, for at least one year before 1960. Many workers also had exposure to Stoddard solvent, a petroleum-based dry-cleaning solvent.
	Concerns of the Dry-Cleaning Industry: A Qualitative Investigation of Labor and Management. Am. J. Ind. Med. 35: 112-123, 1999. Published 1999 Wiley-Liss, Inc. full text with permission 38 pages, 61K Occupational scientists agree there are hazards associated with dry-cleaning, but do dry-cleaning owners and workers concur? Knowledge of owners’ and workers’ perceptions can help guide intervention efforts to reduce worker exposure. To better understand these issues, a qualitative study was conducted using focus group methodology and constant comparative analysis.  Two owner and four worker focus groups were held. Findings suggest that overall, health and safety issues were not of great concern. Owners were primarily concerned with the economic impact of regulations. Workers did express some anxiety about solvent exposure and burns, but most felt that these hazards were "just part of the job". Also, other than the installation of air-conditioning in the shops and the provision of health benefits, workers could not think of ways health and safety on the job could be improved.
	Evaluation and Control of Perchloroethylene Exposures During Dry Cleaning. Appl Occup Environ Hyg J 11 (2): 125-32. (February 1996.)  full text with permission 8 pages, 1M  A study was conducted at a large, commercial dry cleaner to evaluate the control of worker exposure to perchloroethylene (PERC) and provide recommendations to reduce exposure.  This shop used a dry-to-dry machine that had a refrigerated condenser, which operated during the dry cycle, as the primary vapor recovery device.  A small fan that was ducted to a carbon canister was the secondary vapor recovery device.
	World Health Organization Fellowship for U.S. Citizens: A Compendium of Participant Reports 1990-1995. "Lessons From Europe: Reducing Occupational Exposure and Enviornmental Emissions to Perchloroethylene in Commercial Dry Cleaning". US Department of Health and Human Services, Health Resources and Services Administration, International Health Affairs. (abstract--bibliographic information only) Researchers from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) received a World Health Organization (WHO) fellowship to study methods and controls to reduce occupational exposure to and environmental emissions of perchloroethylene (PERC) in Europe. This study involved gathering information concerning dry-cleaning regulations, equipment, exposure levels, work practices, and alternatives to PERC. Much of the recent research and development into new technologies for reducing emissions and exposure to perchloroethylene has been conducted in Germany and Italy. Governmental regulatory and nonregulatory organizations, research institutions, manufacturers of equipment and chemicals, and dry-cleaning shops were visited during this study.