I am 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.
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