Tell your members of Congress: Protect your people from the known dangers of TCE

TCE or trichloroethylene

It’s a known human carcinogen as well as toxic to our immune system, kidneys, and brain. It’s a frequent contaminant of soil and ground water found at Superfund sites and is commonly detected in our air.

Yet the Trump Administration is taking every opportunity to delay proposed bans on key uses of this toxic chemical while simultaneously ignoring many sources of exposure in an ongoing larger assessment of its risks.

It’s time for Congress to take action. Email your elected officials today, and tell them Americans need to be protected from this dangerous chemical.

An EPA 2014 risk assessment of certain key uses of TCE found it presents excessive risk to workers, consumers, and bystanders.

In December 2016, under the nation’s newly strengthened chemical safety law, EPA proposed to ban uses of TCE for aerosol degreasing and spot cleaning in dry cleaning facilities. In January 2017, the agency proposed a second ban on its use in vapor degreasing.

But the Trump Administration has taken every opportunity to keep the American people from benefiting from the finalization of these crucial bans — instead opting to delay action and allow the chemical industry to keep putting American’s health at risk.

And if this isn’t already enough, Trump’s EPA is choosing to ignore many important sources of exposure to TCE in a larger ongoing assessment of its risks. Exclusions include emissions to air, releases to landfills, and contaminated drinking water. This would ignore millions of pounds of TCE present throughout the environment.

Trump’s EPA may be answering to the chemical industry but Congress still answers to the people.

Take action today, and tell your elected officials: Protect your people from the known dangers of TCE.

- Heather Shelby, Environmental Defense Fund

Click the link above to send the message below.

Message

Please work to protect the American people from TCE

Dear [Decision Maker],

(Personalize your message for more impact.)

The passage of the Lautenberg Act - finally reforming America's badly broken chemical safety law - was one of the greatest bipartisan successes efforts in recent history. But under the Trump Administration, EPA's atrocious implementation of the law is putting all of that progress at risk. Among other bad decisions, the agency is delaying badly needed bans on key uses of the known human carcinogen trichloroethylene (TCE) and ignoring major sources of exposure to TCE in a larger ongoing evaluation of its risks.

In addition to causing cancer, TCE interferes with early-life development and is toxic to the kidneys, immune system, and central nervous system - among other harmful health effects. It's also a contaminant in the water, land, and air of communities across the country.
With the passage of the Lautenberg Act, Congress updated the Toxic Substances Control Act of 1976 to give EPA desperately needed authorities to protect the American people from harmful exposures. But now that EPA is refusing to implement the law as written, the American people are relying on you.

Please take action to protect us from this dangerous chemical immediately. Our families and communities are counting on your leadership.