What toxins lurk beneath your house?
1 min read
Last week, I wrote about a growing industry of so-called “green dry cleaners” who use alternatives to the cleaning solvent perchloroethylene — or “perc” — which has been labeled a probable human carcinogen. The EPA is currently requiring a phase-out of perc at cleaners located in residential buildings.
While health is top of mind, there’s a secondary reason homeowners should care about the legacy of the soil beneath them — property values. Residents of Greenpoint, Brooklyn in New York City are finding this out (again) as state health officials push them to test their indoor air for traces of toxic gases from dry-cleaning plants, foundries and other manufacturers that once operated nearby, according to a New York Times piece this morning.
