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Tetrachloroethylene
Level 5 — High concernIn Winter's Dictionary
Tetrachloroethylene is a solvent processing aid — Dry-cleaning solvent used in food packaging
Also: Perchlorethylene, Perc
What it does
Dry-cleaning solvent used in food packaging
Where you'll see it
food packaging materials
What the research says
Causes cancer in laboratory animals; contaminated drinking water implicated in leukemia clusters
Regulatory status
- Notes: FDA limits 0.3 percent in finished foamed polyethylene
Sources
- A Consumer's Dictionary of Food Additives (Winter): causes cancer in laboratory animals at exposure levels close to the level allowed in the workplace