What is TCE and what health effects are associated with it?
TCE, or trichloroethylene, is a colourless liquid at room temperature with a somewhat sweet odour similar to ether or chloroform. It is a manufactured chemical that is mainly used as a solvent to remove grease from metal parts in the automotive and metals industries. It is also an ingredient in adhesives, paint removers, typewriter correction fluids and spot removers. TCE is further used as a chemical building block to make other chemicals. TCE was formerly used as a general anesthetic, an alternative to ether or chloroform; as a solvent in dry-cleaning; and to extract oils, caffeine and flavours from plants. Though TCE is still used as a solvent to clean metal parts, its use has decreased. TCE is not manufactured in Canada, and the solvent degreasing regulations under the Canadian Environmental Protection Act of 1999, which came into force in July 2003, are designed to significantly reduce the use and release of TCE into the environment in Canada. Effective 2007, there will be a manda
TCE, or trichloroethylene, is a colourless liquid at room temperature with a somewhat sweet odour similar to ether or chloroform. It is a manufactured chemical that is mainly used as a solvent to remove grease from metal parts in the automotive and metals industries. It is also an ingredient in adhesives, paint removers, typewriter correction fluids and spot removers. TCE is further used as a chemical building block to make other chemicals. TCE was formerly used as a general anesthetic, an alternative to ether or chloroform; as a solvent in dry-cleaning; and to extract oils, caffeine and flavours from plants. Though TCE is still used as a solvent to clean metal parts, its use has decreased. TCE is not manufactured in Canada, and the solvent degreasing regulations under the Canadian Environmental Protection Act of 1999, which came into force in July 2003, are designed to significantly reduce the use and release of TCE into the environment in Canada. Effective 2007, there will be a manda
