Perchloroethylene (PCE, perc, or tetrachloroethene) has been used as an efficient and effective dry cleaning solvent since the 1930s. However, perc is a harmful carcinogen that can cause public health risks and costly cleanups, enforced through State and Federal regulatory programs.

Carcinogenic perc vapors in soil and groundwater can migrate upward into buildings, and perc can migrate downward into aquifers used for drinking water and groundwater over time, creating complex and often costly remediation projects. This perc conatmination can stay in the environment for as long as 100 years before degrading, so it is important to understand prevention practices. 

Preventing Perc Contamination

Following are best management practices to protect public health and the environment and prevent costly cleanups.

• Store drums of waste perc on secondary containment and keep waste drums closed at all times, except when in immediate use.
• Store spill kits next to dry cleaning equipment and drums of waste perc.
• Follow routine machine maintenance.
• Regularly inspect machines for perc liquid or vapor leaks.
• Upgrade to more efficient machines when possible.
• Label containers with perc as “Hazardous Waste” and “Toxic.”
• Do not discharge waste into drains or washes – it is illegal and will incur enforcement action.
• Ensure disposal follows hazardous waste regulations.
• Consider using alternative solvents like volatile methyl siloxane, high flashpoint hydrocarbons, acetal, or propylene glycol ethers.

Dry Cleaning Regulations

Hazardous waste regulations originate primarily from the 1976 Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, or RCRA, and they are generally based on the amount of hazardous waste produced.

Dry cleaners are commonly categorized as “very small quantity generators” (or VSQGs), meaning they produce no more than 220 pounds of hazardous waste per month.

Some dry cleaners may be categorized as “small quantity generators” (or SQGs), meaning they produce no more than 2,200 pounds of hazardous waste.

Generator categories are detailed in the Code of Federal Regulations, Title 40, Section 262.13 | View >

Hazardous Waste Transporter Requirement

All generators must use hazardous waste transporters for disposal | View List >

Fact Sheet

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