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November 15, 2013

The PCE Migraine

By Partner ESI

Partner Takes a Look at PCE Releases and the Real Estate Headaches Associated with It

Partner’s experts are often told by real estate owners that they have a “dry cleaner headache.” Dry cleaners can easily become a real estate headache for a real estate owner and often can develop into a real migraine. What is this headache? The headache I am referring is caused by a carcinogenic chemical known as PCE.

PCE or tetrachloroethene (also known by at least 40 other names), is primarily used in dry cleaning. Such operations can result in a release of PCE at the site with entry to soil beneath the building. So what specifically is the issue, the migraine associated with a PCE release? It consists of two parts. Firstly, the potential for exposure of PCE vapor to occupants of the building, and secondly the possibility of PCE entering water beneath the site and therefore impacting local drinking water. What is the best method to address a PCE release? Find an experienced PCE doctor: an experienced consultant with a background in all aspects of PCE characteristics, release scenarios, migration properties, cost-effective cleanup options and applications, and experience working with regulatory agencies and providing litigation support and expert witness testimony. In upcoming blogs, I will take a look at how PCE can become a migraine to a real estate holder, what to do to diagnose and analyze the problem, and remedies to address the release in a timely and cost-effective manner.

Continue reading the GlobeSt blog here.

About the Authors

Partner ESI

Partner ESI

Founded in 2007, Partner Engineering and Science Inc., is the leading provider of engineering, environmental, energy, and construction consulting for the commercial real estate (CRE) industry. Touching 1 in 5 CRE transactions in the U.S., Partner is widely recognized as the largest and best provider of third-party physical due diligence reports, including Phase I Environmental Site Assessments, Property Condition Assessments, Seismic Risk Assessments, Zoning Reports, ALTA Land Title Surveys, and Construction Risk Management. Partner’s connectedness to the CRE market gives it an unparalleled view into CRE trends and risk management insights. Partner also provides a full suite of consulting services to support the entire real estate lifecycle, including: Geotechnical Consulting; Building Systems Consulting; Capital Management and Project Implementation Support; Environmental Health & Safety Consulting; Energy, Sustainability & Resilience Consulting; and Site Civil Engineering. With a responsive approach scaled for speed and agility, Partner helps clients manage risk, make smart investments, optimize asset performance, and win at their real estate investment strategies. Based in Torrance, Calif., Partner has over 1,400 employees in 40 offices around the globe.

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