EPA proposes sweeping ban on toxic chemical that has contaminated NC drinking water

The Environmental Protection Agency proposed a sweeping ban Monday on a toxic chemical found in cleaning solutions.

“The science is loud and clear on TCE," said EPA Deputy Administrator Janet McCabe at an announcement event in Woburn, Massachusetts. "It is a dangerous toxic chemical, and proposing to ban it will protect families, workers, and communities.”

Trichloroethylene (TCE) has been linked to several health conditions, including cancer, Parkinson’s Disease, and harm to the reproductive system.

TCE has contaminated drinking water in North Carolina, including at Camp LeJeune. At Hadnot Point water treatment plant, concentrations have been as high as 280 times greater than the EPA's drinking water standard.

The chemical was also found in some private wells on Stony Hill Road in Wake County.

It’s also used in commercial dry cleaning.

According to the Department of Environment and Natural Resources… there are nearly 400 dry-cleaning contamination sites across the state.

The EPA banned the use of the chemical in food and medicine in the 1980s, but the substance can still be found in cleaners, de-greasers, furniture care products, and automotive products.

The EPA’s proposed rule would prohibit almost all uses of TCE within one year.