I was using this, and MEK, cleaning printed circuit
boards 1962-1965.  Anyone else in the group work in
electronics before EPA and OSHA came into existance?
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Common Pollutant Eyed in Cancer Study
July 28, 2006

WASHINGTON - Growing scientific evidence suggests the most
widespread industrial contaminant in drinking water - a
solvent used in adhesives, paint and spot removers - can
cause cancer in people.

The National Academy of Sciences reported Thursday that a
lot more is known about the cancer risks and other health
hazards from exposure to trichloroethylene than there was
five years ago when the Environmental Protection Agency
took steps to regulate it more strictly.

TCE, which is also widely used to remove grease from metal
parts in airplanes and to clean fuel lines at missile sites,
is known to cause cancer in some laboratory animals. EPA was
blocked from elevating its assessment of the chemical's
risks in people by the Defense Department, Energy Department
and NASA, all of which have sites polluted with it.

TCE is a colorless liquid that evaporates at room temperatures
and has a somewhat sweet odor and taste. It is one of the most
common pollutants found in the air, soil and water at U.S.
military bases. Until the mid-1970s, it also was used as a
surgical anesthetic.

TCE also has been found at about 60 percent of the nation's
worst contaminated sites in the Superfund cleanup program,
the academy said.

Its 379-page report recommends that EPA revise its assessment
of TCE's risks using "currently available data" - so no more
time is wasted.

That's a step that could lead to stricter regulations. EPA
currently requires limiting TCE to no more than 5 parts per
billion parts of drinking water. A stricter regulation could,
in turn, force the government to require more thorough
cleanups at military and other sites.

A committee of academy experts said "a large body of
epidemiologic data is available" on TCE showing the chemical
is a possible cause of kidney cancer, reproductive and
developmental damage, impaired neurological function and
autoimmune disease.

"The committee found that the evidence on carcinogenic risk
and other health hazards from exposure to trichloroethylene
has strengthened since 2001," the report said. "Hundreds of
waste sites are contaminated with trichloroethylene, and it
is well documented that individuals in many communities are
exposed to the chemical, with associated health risks."

In 2001, EPA issued a draft document saying the risks of TCE
causing cancer in humans were higher than previously thought.
But that pronouncement was dropped after other federal
agencies accused EPA of inflating the risks.

To mediate the issue, the Bush administration asked the
academy to study the issue.
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On the Net:
National Academies: http://www.nationalacademies.org

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