NR 438 Specific Rule Information for Perchloroethylene (Perc) reporting

Perchloroethylene is the primary solvent used in commercial and industrial dry cleaning. Since being introduced to the drycleaning industry in the late 1930s, it has replaced most other solvents because it was thought to have a low toxicity and nonflammability. However, perchloroethylene is now listed as a suspected carcinogen by both the US National Toxicology Program and the International Agency for Research on Cancer. Its other major uses are as a metal cleaning and degreasing solvent, as a solvent in automotive aerosols, and as a chemical intermediate in the production of several fluorinated compounds. Because perchloroethylene does not contribute appreciably to smog formation, USEPA exempted the solvent from the federal definition of a reactive volatile organic compound (VOC) in 1996.

Although USEPA has delisted perc from its list of volatile organic compounds, Wisconsin has yet to do so (rules to do this are pending). Because perchloroethylene is a suspected carcinogen, perc should be reported as a hazardous air polluant and the perc emissions should also be added to the total ROG (VOC) emissions for the facility.