United States | News & Politics

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The Biden administration has proposed to ban all uses of trichloroethylene, an industrial solvent used in glues, other adhesives, spot removers and metal cleaners, saying exposure to even small amounts can cause cancer, damage to the central nervous system and other health effects.

“This is extremely important,” said Maria Doa, senior director for chemicals policy at the Environmental Defense Fund, a nonprofit advocacy organization.

For other uses the agency categorized as “limited,” such as use in electric vehicle batteries and the manufacturing of certain refrigerants, there would be a longer transition period and more stringent worker protections.

said the chemical posed an “unreasonable risk to human health.” Short-term exposure could affect a developing fetus, and high concentrations can irritate the respiratory system, the agency said.

It was the subject of the 1995 best-selling book “A Civil Action” by Jonathan Harr, which documented TCE contamination in the water supply in Woburn, Mass., and was later turned into a movie.

Michal Freedhoff, the assistant administrator for the office of chemical safety at the E.P.A., said in a statement that ending the use of TCE would also prevent future contamination to drinking water.

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