1 Million In Toxic Chemical's Path

By Dan Shapley News Editor The hearings about water contamination at Camp Lejeune in North Carolina have brought to light the issue of the contaminant tetrachloroethylene. The 75,000 Marines and their families that may have been exposed to the toxic solvent over the course of three decades has raised the patriotic ire of Americans concerned about the health of troops at home. Many have already encountered the pollutant, however. The chemical, also known as PCE or PERC, is one of the most common contaminants at hazardous waste sites around the country. About half of all federal Superfund sites, 771 of 1,430, contain the chemical. And at least 1.1 million Americans, and possibly more than 4 million, live within one mile of one of those sites, according to an analysis of Environmental Protection Agency data by The Daily Green. There are more than 200 sites in the EPA's online database of National Priorities List cleanups where the primary contaminant is tetrachloroethylene. Within one mile of those sites live between 1.1 million and 4 million people, according to the EPA data. That doesn't necessarily mean that every one of those people was exposed to the chemical, or that those who were exposed were subjected to levels that would cause harm. But it also doesn't take into account many sites that states -- rather than the federal government -- are taking the lead in cleaning up. And it doesn't take into account any sites that have yet to be discovered, and investigations continue to turn up new contaminated areas. Tetrachlorethylene was commonly used as a degreasing solvent -- both in dry cleaning businesses and industrial manufacturing like microchip processing and aerospace or military construction. Many federal military installations, in addition to Camp Lejeune, are contaminated. Exposure to the chemical has been linked to birth defects and other pregnancy problems, cancers and other illnesses. People living in contaminated areas can be exposed primarily in two ways -- by drinking tainted water or breathing tainted air. The government's first response to contaminated sites is typically to install filters on municipal water supplies or private wells that are contaminated, in order to remove the contaminant from drinking water. In recent years, environmental officials have realized that fumes from groundwater polluted with this or other volatile chemicals can accumulate to unsafe levels inside homes and other buildings. At some sites, the EPA or state agency installs ventilation systems in buildings to disperse the bad air. For more on the Camp Lejeune story, click here.