{"id":117275,"date":"2014-07-11T13:40:54","date_gmt":"2014-07-11T13:40:54","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/sentryair.com\/blog\/?p=117275"},"modified":"2020-07-27T17:23:12","modified_gmt":"2020-07-27T17:23:12","slug":"epa-releases-final-risk-assessment-on-trichloroethylene-tce","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sentryair.com\/blog\/industry-applications\/chemical-solvents\/epa-releases-final-risk-assessment-on-trichloroethylene-tce\/","title":{"rendered":"EPA releases final risk assessment on Trichloroethylene (TCE)"},"content":{"rendered":"

In 2012, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released a list of 83 chemicals identified for further investigation under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA).<\/p>\n

Of those chemicals, Trichloroethylene (TCE)<\/strong> received a hazard rating of 3, meaning high level hazard concern for both human health and environmental toxicity.<\/p>\n

The EPA chose to review TCE because of its probability to cause cancer, coupled with its wide use as an industrial solvent degreaser, protective aerosol coating, and spotting agent.<\/p>\n

After a thorough assessment of the chemical, including an external peer review, the EPA released its final risk assessment on TCE<\/a> last month.<\/p>\n

Trichloroethylene<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"tce<\/a>The Agency for Toxic Substances & Disease Registry (ATSDR) describes TCE as a non-flammable, colorless liquid with a somewhat sweet odor that is mainly used as a solvent to remove grease from metal parts.<\/p>\n

The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) ranks TCE in Group 1, classified as Carcinogenic to Humans and should be considered a potential occupational carcinogen.<\/p>\n

The following chart outlines the current exposure limits set for Trichloroethylene.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
\n

Agency<\/strong><\/h3>\n<\/td>\n

\n

Exposure Limit<\/strong><\/h3>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

\n

Occupational Safety & Health Administration<\/strong><\/h3>\n

General Industry<\/h3>\n<\/td>\n

\n

100 ppm (TWA); Exposures shall not exceed 200 ppm (Ceiling) with the following exception: Exposures may exceed 200 ppm, but not more than 300 ppm (peak) for a single time period up to 5 minutes in any 2 hours.<\/h3>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

\n

American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Threshold Limit Value<\/h3>\n<\/td>\n

\n

10 ppm (TWA)<\/h3>\n

25 ppm (STEL)<\/h3>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

\n

National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Recommended Exposure Limit<\/h3>\n<\/td>\n

\n

2 ppm (1-hour Ceiling) as an anesthetic agent<\/h3>\n

25 ppm (10-hour TWA) all other exposures<\/h3>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n

It should be noted that OSHA regulations are more than 40 years old and based on dated research. Newer standards, such as NIOSH and ACGIH, tend to recommend stricter exposure limits due to more recent research on the health effects of human exposure to chemical fume. <\/i><\/strong><\/p>\n

Risk Assessment<\/strong><\/p>\n

The EPA focused their study on the effects of TCE exposure in these categories:<\/p>\n