New Reg: Dry Cleaning Fluid Banned

California has passed a regulation to ban the dry cleaning chemical perchloroethylene. By 2023, dry cleaning machines that use the toxic solvent, a potential carcinogen, will not be permitted in the state. The regulation by the California Air Resources Board will phase out the fluid next year, banning dry cleaners from buying machines that use the solvent. There are 3,400 dry cleaners in California who now use perchloroethylene and must get rid of machines that are 15 years or older by July 2010.