Friday, September 14, 2007

Expanded probe of TCE contamination might provide clues to cancer cluster in Endwell New York

September 13, 2007 - The lead story in this paper Sunday was about the state expanding its probe of TCE contamination throughout Endwell.

Amen! It's about time.

TCE, or trichloroethylene, is a solvent for cleaning metal parts. It has been used commonly in manufacturing throughout the Southern Tier as well as the rest of the nation.

According to the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, "drinking or breathing high levels of trichloroethylene may cause nervous system effects, liver and lung damage, abnormal heartbeat, coma and possibly death." A planned health study of IBM Endicott workers will aim to see if there is a connection between their exposure to TCE and disproportionately high rates of testicular and kidney cancer, as well as heart defects.

More . . .

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