Air Pollution: Dry Cleaners - Perchloroethylene (PERC)

Question: "Although I have just recently moved to a new residence, I lived in an apartment over a dry cleaners for two years. I believe that I was exposed to Perchloroethylene in the air possibly in the water. Can you tell me about the health effects of it?"
Answer: Perchloroethylene, which is also known as PERC and tetrachloroethylene, is a colorless, nonflammable liquid. The largest U.S. user of PERC is the dry cleaning industry. It accounts for 80% to 85% of all dry cleaning fluid used. Typewriter correction fluid and shoe polish are among the consumer products that contain PERC.
It is possible to be exposed to PERC by living in an apartment above a dry cleaning facility. PERC enters the body when breathed in with contaminated air or when consumed with contaminated food or water. Once in the body, PERC can remain stored in fat tissue., Short term exposure to PERC can cause adverse health effects on the nervous system that range from dizziness, fatigue, headaches, and sweating to incoordination and unconsciousness. Contact with PERC in its liquid or vapor form can irritate the skin, eyes, nose and throat. Long term exposure to PERC can cause liver and kidney damage. Workers repeatedly exposed to large amounts of PERC in the air have experienced memory loss and confusion. PERC has been shown to cause cancer in laboratory animals that repeatedly breathed PERC in air. It is important to remember that the effects of PERC on your health depend on how much PERC and the length and frequency of exposure.