DRY Cleaners – A history of Pollution

DRY Cleaners – A history of Pollution

Historical Chemicals used in Dry Cleaning The following contaminants (along with their degradation products) are usually associated with dry cleaning activities (all are volatile halogenated organic compounds):
Pollution with perchloroethylene (PCE)

Pollution with Trichloroethylene (TCE) – which is also a degradation product of PCE

cis-1,2-Dichloroethylene (cis-1,2-DCE) – which is a degradation product of both PCE and TCE

trans-1,2-Dichloroethylene (trans-1,2-DCE) – which is a degradation product of both PCE and TCE

Vinyl chloride (VC) – which is a degradation product of both PCE and TCE

1,1,1- trichloroethane (1,1,1-TCA) 1,4-dioxane

Other pollution contaminants that were historically associated with dry cleaning activities include:
Carbon tetrachloride
Freon 113 (1,1,2 trichloro-1,2,2-trufluoroethane)
Stoddard solvent
Kerosene
Mineral spirits

Modern Day Chemicals used in Dry Cleaning Since the late 90s,

petroleum solvents started to be introduced in dry cleaning, little by little replacing chlorinated solvents.
The following are some of the chemicals:

DF-2000™ – petroleum base solvent – a synthetic paraffin;

Rynex™ – glycol tertiary-butyl ether – first introduced as a dry cleaning solvent in 1999;

PureDry™ – a mixture of isoparaffinic hydrocarbons, hydrofluoroethers and perfluoroisobutylethers

Impress™ – glycol-ether based solvent starting 2004

DrySolv™ – n-propyl bromide started in 2006.