What are TCE and PCE? How are they harmful?
TCE and PCE are volatile organic compounds (VOCs). VOCs are a class of chemicals with similar physical and chemical characteristics, particularly high volatility. VOCs generally include solvents and fuels. • Trichloroethylene (TCE) is a colorless liquid which is used as a solvent for cleaning metal parts. • Tetrachloroethylene (PCE) is a manufactured chemical used for dry cleaning and metal degreasing. Exposure to these volatile organic compounds alone typically does not mean adverse health effects will occur. Many factors determine whether people experience adverse health effects because of chemical exposure. These factors include • Dose (how much) • Duration (how long the contact period is) • When in the course of life the exposures occurred (for example, while in utero, during early childhood, or in later years of life) • Other factors that may contribute to the likelihood of health effects are a person’s exposure to other chemicals, sex (gender), diet, family traits, lifestyle, and
