Right now, Congress is considering overturning an EPA rule that would stop people in the U.S. from getting cancer, birth defects and Parkinson’s disease from a toxic chemical that has already poisoned millions of Americans, including our soldiers.
TCE (trichloroethylene) is a highly toxic solvent linked to serious health harms, even at very low levels of exposure. EPA scientists found that TCE exposure “poses unreasonable risks to the health of workers and consumers” and issued a new rule under the Toxic Substances Control Act to phase out the chemical. Despite giving industry 20 years to switch to safer alternatives, the chemical industry pushed back, asking that the new rule be rescinded.
The rule was supposed to go into effect in January, but the new administration has delayed implementation.
In response, a group of public health and environmental organizations are urging EPA to restore the rule. TCE, which is used in spot removers, paints, and in metal degreasing, has contaminated drinking water across the U.S., especially on military bases.
An estimated 500,000 to 1,000,000 Marines, military families, and nearby residents were exposed to TCE-contaminated water at Camp Lejeune in North Carolina. Resulting health harms, including death, were so extensive, it led to a 2021 bi-partisan law to pay for damages.
The letter from more than 120 health and environmental organizations cite numerous cases across the country of severe harm from TCE exposure, including:
- 20 children diagnosed with leukemia in Woburn, MA after barrels of TCE contaminated a local river;
- 50 cases of childhood cancer detected in Johnson County, Indiana, where TCE contaminated groundwater and migrated into homes;
- Residents of Tucson, Arizona; Rochester, New York; Piketon, Ohio; Newark, New Jersey; Brevard, Florida; and Wichita, Kansas have also been seriously affected.
“No family should experience the pain that these communities have endured. And taxpayers should not bear the costs associated with a chemical that is too toxic to use safely,” the letter states.
EPA estimates the “TCE rule will protect more than 85,000 workers and consumers across the country and save more than $20 million in health benefits from reduced cancer incidence alone. EPA did not quantify the benefits from reduced fetal heart malformations and immune system toxicity, which are expected to be even greater.”
Read the full letter here:
https://earthjustice.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/final-tce-letter-to-administrator-zeldin.pdf
