TCE

TCE, a chlorinated solvent, was widely used for metal degreasing and is now a common contaminant at hazard waste sites and many federal facilities. TCE has been identified in at least 1500 hazardous waste sites regulated under Superfund or the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act. Besides being used for degreasing, TCE has been used as an extractant and as a chemical intermediate. Most of the TCE used in the United States is released into the atmosphere from vapor degreasing operations. TCE can enter surface waters via direct discharges and groundwater through leaching from disposal operations and Superfund sites; the maximum contaminant level for TCE in drinking water is 5 ppb. TCE can be released to indoor air from use of consumer products that contain it, vapor intrusion through underground walls and floors and volatilization from the water supply.

Best Resources

TCE Program Overview
TCE Issue Papers (2005)

---

Additional Resources

U.S. EPA. IRIS Toxicological Review and Summary Documents for Trichloroethylene. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, DC.

U.S. EPA. Symposium on New Scientific Research Related to the Health Effects of Trichloroethylene..

Lewis, T. E., T. F. WOLFINGER, AND M. L. BARTA. The Ecological Effects of Trichloracetic Acid (TCAA) in the Environment. ENVIRONMENT INTERNATIONAL. Elsevier Science Ltd, New York, NY, 30:1119-1150, (2004).

U.S. EPA. Trichloroethylene (TCE) Health Risk Assessment: Overview..

U.S. EPA. Trichloroethylene (TCE) Issue Papers. EPA/600/R-05/022, 2005.

U.S. EPA. Trichloroethylene Health Risk Assessment: Synthesis and Characterization (External Review Draft). U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Research and Development, National Center for Environmental Assessment, Washington Office, Washington, DC, EPA/600/P-01/002A, 2001.