PERC Ban among Dry Clean

PERC Ban among Dry Clean

to 1

-Bromopropane Exposu

Bromopropane Exposu

Alternative “Green” So

Alternative “Green” So

James Blando James Blando1, Don Schill , Don Schill1, 

Paulina Paulina De La Cruz De La Cruz

2, Lin Zhang n Zhang

2, Jim 

1 New Jersey Department of Health and 

New Jersey Department of Health and 

Services Services

2 UMDNJ Sc UMDNJ School of Public hool of Public Health

10/16/09 10/16/09
Background: Regula

Background: Regula

• NJDEP and several other states co

NJDEP and several other states co

PERC in dry cleaning PERC in dry cleaning

– Incorporated into plan for compli

Incorporated into plan for compli

CAA title CAA title 

– Ozone Depleting Sub

Ozone Depleting Sub

– Air Toxics issue Air Toxics issue

• Products containing 1 Products containing 1

-bromopr

bromopr

marketed to dry cleaning indus

marketed to dry cleaning indus

“green”, “organic”, and “non “green”, “organic”, and “non

-ha

ha

• Users assume that “green” me

Users assume that “green” me

toxic”
Background: 1 Background: 1

-B

• Unregulated chemical Unregulated chemical• Non

-ozone depleting ozone depleting

– EPA SNAP program EPA SNAP program

• Already used in degreasing, m

Already used in degreasing, m

working, solvent for resins/wax

working, solvent for resins/wax

spray adhesive operations spray adhesive operations

• Use increasing, 3% growth per 

Use increasing, 3% growth per 

– 4.5 million pounds used in US in 

4.5 million pounds used in US in 

• Estimate that when PERC ban 

Estimate that when PERC ban 

there will be 1500 dry cleaners 

there will be 1500 dry cleaners 

will convert their machines will convert their machines
Economic Driver

Economic Driver

•

1

-BP products are “drain and d

BP products are “drain and d

•

1

-BP is cheapest capital invest

BP is cheapest capital invest

alternative if PERC is banned alternative if PERC is banned 

•

1

-BP conversion costs are less 

BP conversion costs are less 

whereas a new non whereas a new non

-PERC mac

PERC ma

40 K capital investment 40 K capital investment

•

1

-BP solvent products are app

BP solvent products are app

$45 gallon versus PERC at $16 

$45 gallon versus PERC at $16 

gallon product plus $10 dispos

gallon product plus $10 dispos
Background: Health E

Background: Health E

• Limited health effect testing ex

Limited health effect testing ex

• Several animal toxicity studies Several animal toxicity studies

• No epidemiology No epidemiology

• Several clinical case series ex

Several clinical case series ex

• Past studies raised concerns a

Past studies raised concerns a

which lead to substitution with 

which lead to substitution with 

• Infamous Infamous dibromochloropropan

dibromochloropropan

cases of male infertility among 

cases of male infertility among 

production workers in the late 7

production workers in the late 7
Background: Health E

Background: Health E

• Several Case Series Several Case Series

– Metal workers, degreasers, 1 Metal workers, degreasers, 1

-BP 

BP 

spray adhesive users in furniture 

spray adhesive users in furniture 

– Similar presentation in emergenc

Similar presentation in emergenc

• headache, nausea, headache, nausea, subacute subacute spast

spast

(i.e. weakness) with distal sensory 

(i.e. weakness) with distal sensory 

balance, unsteady gait while walkin

balance, unsteady gait while walkin

and dizziness and dizziness 

• Long lasting effects including falling

Long lasting effects including falling

difficulty walking, pain, and showing 

difficulty walking, pain, and showin

permanent nerve damage affecting 

permanent nerve damage affecting 

extremities extremities 
Background: Health E

Background: Health E

• Animal Toxicity Studies Animal Toxicity Studies• Inhalation studies Inhalation studies 

– Neurological effects including nerve da

Neurological effects including nerve d

weakness weakness

– Reproductive effects including abnorm

Reproductive effects including abnorm

reduced sperm counts reduced sperm counts

– NTP reports repro NTP reports repro tox studies by WIL 

studies by WIL 

and Ichihara Ichihara et al found sperm abnorm

et al found sperm abnorm

acute inhalation exposures at ~400 acute inhalation exposures at ~400 pp

exposure exposure

• Dermal route? Dermal route?
Index Case Index Case

• male dry cleaner reports to ED male dry cleaner reports to ED

– Sx headache, nausea, dizziness, sligh

headache, nausea, dizziness, sligh

malaise in February 2008 malaise in February 2008

– Conversion of PERC machine to 1 Conversion of PERC machine to 1-BP 

BP 

solvents solvents

• Cleaning machine, manually charging 50 Cleaning machine, manually charging 50 – 

through front hatch through front hatch

• Neglected to change machine settings fro

Neglected to change machine settings fro

– Needed Lower steam pressure (1/10 Needed Lower steam pressure (1/10th) to 

) to 

– Needed higher water flow to condenser Needed higher water flow to condenser – Had leaky valve Had leaky valve

• Noted degreaser in Pennsylvania a

Noted degreaser in Pennsylvania a

and permanently disabled by use o

and permanently disabled by use o
Investigation Investigation

• Visited 5 different dry cleaning ope

Visited 5 different dry cleaning ope

1

-BP solvents BP solvents

– Small shops with 1 Small shops with 1 

– 4 workers 4 workers

• Collected personal and area samp

Collected personal and area samp

• Evaluated ventilation Evaluated ventilation

– Hot

-wire anemometer wire anemometer 

– Smoke tube Smoke tube

• Recorded Video Exposure Monitor

Recorded Video Exposure Monitor

footage footage

• Data

-logged PID measurements fo

logged PID measurements fo

• Benchmarked against ACGIH TLV 

Benchmarked against ACGIH TLV 
Air Sampling and An

Air Sampling and An

• NIOSH method 1025 NIOSH method 1025

– Sampling at 200 cc/min Sampling at 200 cc/min

– Media 

– Solid Sorbent Sorbent tube (SKC tube (SKC Anasorb Anasorb CS

CS

– Analysis by GC Analysis by GC

-FID; capillary column FID; capillary column

– Method partially validated Method partially validated

– Modification to separate 1 Modification to separate 1

-BP from 2 BP from 2

-BP; ove

BP; ove

and programmed temp ramp of 15°C/ and programmed temp ramp of 15°C/min

• Video Exposure Monitoring (VE

Video Exposure Monitoring (VE

sychronizes sychronizes video with real tim

video with real tim

Photo

-ionization detector (PID) ionization detector (PID)

– Calibrated to isobutylene bec Calibrated to isobutylene because permeation 

ause permeation 

available available
Area Samples Area Samples 

58 ‘

3rd genDry 

cleaningmachine

N

Front co

17.64 

X

X 16.79 

35.12 ppm

v

X

21.84 ppm

v

20’
Personal Exposure D

Personal Exposure D

Shop Job Title 9/22/08 2/9/09 3/

Operator 54.55 42.13 1

1

Clerk 12.82 21.85 

Operator

X 41.64

2

Clerk X 0.65 

Operator

X

0.24

3

Seamstress X ND 

ND = not detected (<0.002 mg per Anasorb tubX = not sampledNote: results in ppm

for 1-BP as 8-hour TWAs
Exposure Result

Exposure Result

• ACGIH TLV for 1 ACGIH TLV for 1

-BP = 10 BP = 10 ppm

• Exposures to operators ranged from 

Exposures to operators ranged from 

to 54 ppm for 8 hour time weighted 

for 8 hour time weighted 

• Exposures to clerks ranged from no

Exposures to clerks ranged from no

22 ppm for 8 hour time weighted av

for 8 hour time weighted av

• Variable pattern of exposure Variable pattern of exposure

– coefficient of variation coefficient of variation

• personal breathing zone samp

personal breathing zone samp

• area samples (100%) area samples (100%)

• machine operators (103%) machine operators (103%)

• clerks (89%) clerks (89%)

• Two factor ANOVA Two factor ANOVA 

– job title & sho

job title & sho

significant (p=0.04); date was not s

significant (p=0.04); date was not s
Determinants of Exp

Determinants of Exp

• Effort and planning to reduce e

Effort and planning to reduce e

– Higher exposures were in more t

Higher exposures were in more t

lower exposures were recorded 

lower exposures were recorded 

• Frequency of “cooking” and “chargi

Frequency of “cooking” and “charg

important determinants of exposure important determinants of exposure

• % stabilizer important in volatility of 

% stabilizer important in volatility of 

• Gasket types affect leak rates Gasket types affect leak rates

–

1

-BP damages natural rubber, BP damages natural rubber, Viton in

in

to be good but now questioned, Teflon 

to be good but now questioned, Teflon 

perform the best in the field perform the best in the field

• What job tasks result in the wo

What job tasks result in the wo

exposures? exposures?
0

100200300400500600700800900

1000

7:37:57

7:44:29

7:51:03

7:57:39

8:04:10

8:10:44

8:18:33

8:28:33

8:35:07

8:41:40

8:48:16

8:54:52

9:01:25

9:07:56

9:19:09

9:29:39

9:37:54

9:45:51

9:53:20

10:01:10

10:10:20

10:24:23

10:32:29

10:39:33

10:46:15

10:53:12

110012

TIME

ppm

5 gal. of DrySolv loaded 

through machine door

1st loadremoved

2nd loadremoved

3rd loadremoved

4th loadremoved

5th loadremoved

machine dow ash cycle 

TVA-1000 PID Measurements of Or
Task Evaluation Task Evaluation

• Solvent loading of machine res

Solvent loading of machine res

air levels of 1 air levels of 1

-BP

• Unloading machine and interru

Unloading machine and interru

machine cycle also causes spi

machine cycle also causes spi

concentrations concentrations

– Our ventilation survey found th Our ventilation survey found that Gen3 mach

at Gen3 mach

100 fpm air flow at hatch even wi 100 fpm air flow at hatch even with fugitive co

th fugitive co

In some cases, fan stopped when door was o

In some cases, fan stopped when door was o

• NIOSH engineering team looking in NIOSH engineering team looking into LEV for to LEV for front d

ont d

• NJDEP looking to move NJDEP looking to move operator operators to Gen4 machines s to Gen4 machines
Additional Concer

Additional Concer

• Education and outreach nee

Education and outreach ne

– Many operators think that “gr

Many operators think that “g

“organic” means non “organic” means non

-toxic.

– Many state environmental pr

Many state environmental pr

moving toward wider 1 moving toward wider 1

-BP u

BP u

• Literature and index case sugg

Literature and index case sugg

there are potential neurologica

there are potential neurologica

reproductive hazards. reproductive hazards.
Current Status Current Status

• MMWR published on index dry clea

MMWR published on index dry clea

degreaser case degreaser case

• Additional publications in progress Additional publications in progress

• NJDEP grant program to assist dry 

NJDEP grant program to assist dry 

conversion from Gen3 to Gen4 can 

conversion from Gen3 to Gen4 can 

for machines that will use 1 for machines that will use 1

-BP con

BP con

solvents. solvents.

• PERC ban has been delayed for fiv

PERC ban has been delayed for fiv

(2014 for co (2014 for co

-located; 2025 for stand 

located; 2025 for stand 

cleaners). cleaners). 

• NIOSH investigating engineering co

NIOSH investigating engineering co
Contact Info Contact Info

• Jim Blando

–

E

-mail: james.blando@doh.state

james.blando@doh.state

– Phone: (609)777 Phone: (609)777

-3039

• MMWR on index dry cleaner case & 

MMWR on index dry cleaner case & 

case

– http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mm

http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mm

8a2.htm 8a2.htm

• Journal article development wi

Journal article development wi

towards Journal of the Air and 

towards Journal of the Air and 

Management Association Management Association