Dry cleaning clothes with tetrachloroethylene is safe
Release Time:
2009-12-21 18:44
Source:
Recently, multiple media outlets have reported on issues related to tetrachloroethylene dry-cleaned clothes, attracting widespread attention from all sectors of society and drawing high-level concern from relevant government departments. It has also caused a huge stir and strong reactions in the laundry and dyeing industry.
To this end, the Laundry and Dyeing Professional Committee of the China General Chamber of Commerce held a "Seminar on Whether Tetrachloroethylene Dry-Cleaned Clothes Are Harmful to Human Health" on the morning of November 17. The seminar discussed topics such as "The current use of tetrachloroethylene as a dry-cleaning solvent in the domestic and international laundry and dyeing industry," "Relevant standards for tetrachloroethylene dry-cleaning equipment in China," and "How to properly operate tetrachloroethylene dry-cleaning equipment." Questions about tetrachloroethylene were answered on-site, and a field inspection of the use and operation of tetrachloroethylene dry-cleaning equipment was conducted. Relevant experts, media, well-known enterprises in the laundry and dyeing industry, and representatives from industry associations attended the seminar.
At the seminar, experts conducted extensive discussions on the topic "Whether tetrachloroethylene dry-cleaned clothes are harmful to human health." The experts pointed out during the discussion:
More than a hundred years ago, since the invention of dry cleaning in Europe, various dry-cleaning agents have been used, such as gasoline, carbon tetrachloride, trichloroethylene, and trichlorotrifluoroethane. Tetrachloroethylene has been used as a dry-cleaning solvent for about 70 years and is the longest-used dry-cleaning agent. Currently, in many developed countries in Europe, Australia, and North America, tetrachloroethylene dry-cleaning machines still account for more than 80% of the market share. However, tetrachloroethylene is a toxic organic solvent. Therefore, many countries worldwide have set regulations on the permissible concentration of tetrachloroethylene gas in the workplace environment, ranging from 25 PPM to 50 PPM. China’s standard is 200 mg/m³ (i.e., 27 PPM, GB16204-1996), which aligns with and is relatively strict compared to standards in developed countries.
In 2001, the European Union Risk Assessment Center issued regulations because some laundries in Europe had not yet updated their dry-cleaning machines to meet new standards. The regulation required that by January 31, 2007, the 56,570 tetrachloroethylene dry-cleaning machines under their jurisdiction must comply with the relevant standards mentioned above. Additionally, European standards require that the consumption of tetrachloroethylene per kilogram of clothing washed in closed dry-cleaning machines does not exceed 20 grams. This ensures that the residual tetrachloroethylene on clothes after drying is naturally minimal.
In the past decade or so, the Olympic Games held in Atlanta (USA), Barcelona (Spain), Sydney (Australia), and Athens (Greece) all used tetrachloroethylene dry cleaning as the main washing method to serve the events. Because they used fully enclosed tetrachloroethylene dry-cleaning machines, they were able to provide safe and thorough service, receiving positive reviews.
Currently, fully enclosed tetrachloroethylene dry-cleaning machines used by laundries of a certain scale in China can fully meet the requirements of both China and Europe.
It is well known that alcohol is also a toxic solvent. There are tens of thousands of types of alcoholic beverages consumed by humans, and the vast majority of drinkers do not get poisoned because they control their intake and do not exceed harmful limits, thus avoiding poisoning. Therefore, controlling the emission and human intake of tetrachloroethylene is the key to ensuring safety.
Since 1985, China has fully introduced tetrachloroethylene dry cleaning in major cities for 20 years. Currently, there are about 200,000 dry-cleaning machines nationwide, of which 80% are tetrachloroethylene dry-cleaning machines. However, fully enclosed dry-cleaning machines account for less than 30%. To date, no cases of disease or disability have been found among employees using tetrachloroethylene dry cleaning under normal conditions. Because open tetrachloroethylene dry-cleaning machines cannot meet emission standards, excessive emissions and residues may occur. Therefore, national and local authorities have formulated or are formulating corresponding management regulations to phase out and update these machines within a time limit. For example, since 2005, Beijing has stopped approving new laundries using open tetrachloroethylene dry-cleaning machines.
Promoting fully enclosed dry-cleaning machines; strengthening management and maintenance to ensure that dry-cleaning machines operate healthily at all times; these are prerequisites to ensure that dry-cleaning solvent emissions do not exceed standards and are effective means to control the impact of tetrachloroethylene on humans and the environment.
For laundry consumers, choosing a regular laundry store to clean clothes is safe as long as the procedures are followed, whether using tetrachloroethylene solvent or petroleum solvent dry cleaning.
For our association, actively cooperating with relevant government departments to quickly formulate and improve relevant standards, advocating scientific and environmentally friendly industry development concepts, promoting advanced washing equipment, strengthening industry self-discipline, improving the quality of practitioners and products, and ensuring that the vast majority of laundry consumers can wash with confidence and wear comfortably are the directions of our next efforts.
2007-1-29
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