A certain media outlet has again exposed insider information about the dry cleaning industry, claiming that dry cleaning solvents are carcinogenic.

Beware of the "Invisible Killer" Toxic Dry Cleaning Solvent
Legal Weekly Reporter Wang Sijing / Text Fu Zhiyong / Photo

Recently, Ms. Tang, who lives in Zhongnan Auto World, Changsha, experienced itching all over her body and developed skin allergy symptoms, occasionally feeling dizzy. After diagnosis at Changsha Eighth People's Hospital, doctors informed her that this was eczema caused by poisoning from exposure to tetrachloroethylene, accompanied by mild central nervous system hypersensitivity. It turned out that Ms. Tang often sent clothes, sheets, and quilts to a dry cleaner in Zone K of Zhongnan Auto World for dry cleaning, not expecting to be "poisoned".

Recently, Legal Weekly reporters found during interviews that many people are unclear whether the dry cleaning solvents used in dry cleaners cause diseases. There have been quite a few patients poisoned by tetrachloroethylene like Ms. Tang recently. Reporters learned from several hospitals and clinics that since April, several patients have been poisoned due to residual dry cleaning solvents, with some developing allergic rhinitis and asthma. After a week of undercover investigation, reporters found that the tetrachloroethylene solvent commonly used in most dry cleaners in Changsha is a toxic substance and has become an invisible killer threatening human health.

Toxic solvents used in dry cleaners may cause cancer
On May 5, reporters visited the dry cleaner in Zone K of Zhongnan Auto World, Changsha, where Ms. Tang filed a complaint. The store, about 6 square meters in size, was filled with freshly cleaned clothes. The pungent smell inside was suffocating, caused by formaldehyde and tetrachloroethylene residues in the dry cleaning solvent on the clothes.

Seeing the shop owner ironing clothes, the reporter claimed to be the owner of a laundry on Liangtang Road, Xingsha. The workers had taken leave recently, business was busy, and hoped to find a peer to help with washing. Since the dry cleaner's customers were mostly nearby residents, the owner received the reporter politely.

After learning that the reporter was new to the business and not doing well, the owner proudly told the reporter that she bought a second-hand dry cleaning machine. Business gets very busy every season change, and she hangs her own clothes around to make the place look full. Seeing a room full of clothes attracts more customers.

The reporter mentioned wanting to work here for free for a few days to learn laundry skills. The owner arrogantly said, "If you wash without counting costs, you will lose money sooner or later."

The owner then opened up, telling the reporter that she usually uses both hand washing and machine washing. Some good quality, lightly colored clothes absolutely cannot be washed with dry cleaning solvent, "It's impossible to measure the amount of detergent, and machines are not as reliable as people." Machine-washed clothes are usually darker in color and more durable in material, so they are less likely to be damaged. It is understood that this dry cleaner uses poor quality tetrachloroethylene solvent, which is highly corrosive to plastic products. To avoid dissolution, the owner removes buttons before washing and sews them back on afterward. Clothes dry-cleaned this way have a strong irritating smell.

Currently, dry cleaning solvents are divided into two types: petroleum solvents and tetrachloroethylene (PERC, also called perchloroethylene or fully chlorinated ethylene). In countries like Japan and the United States, tetrachloroethylene solvents are rarely used; most dry cleaners use petroleum solvents. Although petroleum-based solvents are harmless to humans, their cleaning effectiveness is much lower than tetrachloroethylene, about 30% of its effectiveness. Therefore, more dry cleaners still use tetrachloroethylene as a solvent. Tetrachloroethylene is a toxic solvent widely used in dry cleaning due to its strong cleaning power and high cleaning efficiency. However, it is toxic and irritates the eyes, nose, throat, and pharynx. Long-term use can damage liver function, especially for workers, and may cause cancer. Because tetrachloroethylene is absorbed by clothing fibers and released when clothes dry, it pollutes indoor air and harms infants and young children.

Dry cleaning refers to using the physical properties of dry cleaning solvents to extract oil stains or dirt from clothes. Since the solvent contains almost no water, it is called dry cleaning. Used solvents need to be purified by distillation to restore clarity for reuse. However, the distillation and purification process usually takes 48 hours, consuming time, electricity, and fuel, becoming a major cost for dry cleaners.
At this point, the owner brought out a nearly black sludge-like oil and told the reporter in a teaching tone, "This is the color after washing 10 batches; you should understand the trick now."

On May 7, the reporter retrieved clothes sent for dry cleaning from the store. The clothes had a strong irritating smell. After soaking them in water, the water turned brownish-yellow with a layer of yellow oil stains floating on top, seemingly dirtier than before washing.

Dr. Liu from Changsha Eighth People's Hospital told the reporter that the oil stains in the water contain dust, human secretions, and also bacteria, spores, and parasites. Wearing such clothes would inevitably cause illness.

"The boss rarely washes clothes in the store"

Xue Yun (pseudonym) works at a dry cleaner near Xiangya Third Hospital in Hexi Tongzipo, Changsha, and is preparing to resign. She says she suffers from a guilty conscience daily and revealed many dark secrets of dry cleaners to the reporter. Over two years, she worked as a laundry worker in several dry cleaners in Changsha. On May 8, Xue Yun told the reporter that all the dry cleaners she worked at used tetrachloroethylene solvents. Clothes washed without distillation treatment always have a strong irritating smell.

Xue Yun said that a good fully enclosed dry cleaning machine can recover all the perchloroethylene from the clothes during washing. The price of a medium fully enclosed perchloroethylene dry cleaning machine is about 40,000 to 60,000 yuan, which is generally difficult for small dry cleaning shops to afford, while open-type dry cleaning machines are much cheaper. Most dry cleaning shops use leaking open-type dry cleaning machines to reduce costs, which easily causes perchloroethylene residue on clothes to exceed the standard.

Xue Yun revealed that many laundry shops are decorated quite nicely, and the most conspicuous and grand machine in the store is actually a fake machine used as a decoration and never turned on. The real washing machines are hidden in dark places, and almost all are open-type dry cleaning machines. Open-type dry cleaning machines easily cause perchloroethylene leakage, leading to excessive perchloroethylene residue on clothes, which poses a great threat to human health. Therefore, the use of open-type dry cleaning machines has been explicitly banned in places like Beijing and Hangzhou. Shop owners usually reuse the same barrel of dry cleaning solvent repeatedly: new and freshly purified solvent is used for light-colored clothes; solvent used 3 to 5 times is used for dark blue, dark green, and other deep-colored clothes; solvent used about 10 times, called "old oil," is used for black clothes.

The reporter followed Xue Yun to the dry cleaning shop where she works. There are three workers in total. The laundry room is messy, sharply contrasting with the clean and bright shop floor. Many clothes are piled directly on the floor, sorted by color, waiting for dry cleaning. Two ladies around 50 years old were treating some obvious stains on clothes. The reporter asked, "What kind of dry cleaning solvent do you use here?"

"Perchloroethylene. Because dry-cleaned clothes need to be sorted by fabric, we have to wait until enough clothes are gathered before washing together," one lady answered.

"Why does this dry cleaning solvent smell so pungent?" "These clothes are not for you to wear immediately; after a couple of days, the smell will be gone."

Xue Yun pointed to the cleaned clothes and said to the reporter, "After the dry cleaning solvent is reused more than seven times, it’s better not to wash at all. Our boss’s clothes are rarely washed in the shop." When asked where these detergents come from, Xue Yun said that the detergents used in their shop come in various brands, all supplied by the shop owner from Jiangxi. In the past three months, she has often experienced skin allergies and dizziness, which is why she wants to resign. "I suspect these dry cleaning solvents are counterfeit products produced by illegal workshops. As far as I know, many dry cleaning shops use these products directly shipped to them."

　　
Low-cost operations to make unscrupulous profits

The reporter learned from a large chain dry cleaning shop near the Xinhua Bookstore in Yuanjialing, Wuyi Avenue, Changsha, that a regular dry cleaning shop requires an investment of hundreds of thousands or even over a million yuan. The petroleum dry cleaning machines used by large dry cleaning shops now cost more than 200,000 yuan for a fully automatic set. Adding dryers, ironing machines, conveyors, disinfectors, and other complete equipment, the total investment approaches one million yuan. In a regular laundry shop, dry cleaning clothes go through seven procedures: receiving clothes, sorting, stain removal, washing, ironing, disinfection, and finishing.

Xue Yun analyzed for the reporter that according to the standard dry cleaning procedure, the cost of dry cleaning a suit is more than 20 yuan. Adding labor wages and various losses, if charged 40 yuan, the profit is nearly 6 yuan. However, such prices will be unpopular. An effective way to reduce costs is to repeatedly reuse the dry cleaning solvent. Some small shops, to gain more profit, even cut corners by using water washing to pretend to dry clean.

The reporter asked prices for the same coat at multiple laundry shops in the Xingsha urban area, with quotes ranging from 8 yuan to 49 yuan. "We guarantee dry cleaning for you," the shop owners all told the reporter without exception.
　　
The invisible threat of industry unspoken rules

The low quality of practitioners has led to rampant unspoken rules in the industry. The repeated use of detergents has posed an invisible threat to consumers’ health.

　　However, many dry cleaning shop employees said that so far no department has come to inspect the dry cleaning solvents in the shops. Regarding the dry cleaning industry, the country has three related standards, but none of the three standards clearly specify "what kind of dry cleaning solvents and dry cleaning machines dry cleaning shops should use."

An anonymous respiratory physician said, "Long-term use of perchloroethylene dry cleaning solvents has certain toxic effects on the human body. Long-term inhalation of perchloroethylene can cause dizziness, nausea, fatigue, and other symptoms, can cause dermatitis and skin peeling, and excessive exposure may also cause liver and kidney damage."

Regarding how consumers should choose dry cleaning services, Xue Yun gave two suggestions: first, do not wear clothes immediately after dry cleaning; instead, place the clothes on a well-ventilated balcony to air out for 12 to 24 hours before putting them away. Because perchloroethylene volatilizes easily, this can reduce its residue. Second, when choosing a dry cleaning shop, look at the price. If a shop offers dry cleaning at a very low price, it definitely provides inferior service.