Perchloroethylene: acute occupational poisoning and a proposal for its replacement with other less toxic substances

Abstract

Perchloroethylene is used mainly as a solvent in dry cleaning, cleaning of electrical equipment, and degreasing of metal parts. The authors report a case of acute poisoning with perchloroethylene contracted by a maintenance worker when cleaning an electric transformer. Since perchloroethylene may cause severe poisoning and the International Agency for Research on Cancer has classified it as a probable carcinogen for humans, the authors have revised the main substances that may replace perchloroethylene in the workplace. Med Pr. 2019;70(3):393-5

Evaluation of Occupational Exposure to Perchlorethylene in a Group of Italian Dry Cleaners Using Noninvasive Exposure Indices

“…They substantially support the decreasing trend of PCE exposure in dry cleaning observed in Europe by other authors [28] who performed a retrospective research in four European Nordic countries (Denmark, Finland, Norway, and Sweden) showing a progressive decrease from 1976 to 2001 in the median PCE environmental concentrations, with values dropping from 136 to 20.4 mg/m³. A similar trend was reported also in USA [3,29,30], and occasionally higher levels have been observed (e.g., in France [31] or in Iran [32]), especially with the occasional possibility of acute effects [33]. In our previous study [14] conducted in a group of dry cleaners of the same territory, we measured median PCE concentrations in the workplaces of 44.2 mg/m³, quite similar to the findings of another North-Italian study [34].…”

International Symposium on Occupational Safety and Hygiene: Proceedings Book of the SHO2020

“…Tetrachloroethylene vapour irritates the skin and mucous membranes. Concentrations higher than 2000 ppm may cause central nervous system depression and acute Pulmonary oedema of non-cardiogenic origin (Bale AS et al, 2011;Sanz-Gallen P et al, 2019). Cases of fatal acute poisoning after inhalation of tetrachloroethylene have been reported, with blood tetrachloroethylene concentrations > 44 mg/l (Luzawenski T, 1979;Levine B et al, 1981).…”