An Analysis of Reducing Perchloroethylene Emissions in the Urban Environment: A Case Study of Taiwan

Selected volatile organic compounds (VOCs) emitted from commercial activities and industrial processes have been classified as hazardous air pollutants, posing a potential health risk in the urban environment. In this respect, perchloroethylene (PCE), a suspected human carcinogen, is the most noticeable compound because it is widely used in laundries and hotels as a dry-cleaning solvent. The objective of this paper was to quantify the emissions of PCE and other petroleum-based solvents from dry cleaning business in illustration of the regulatory infrastructure of reducing PCE exposure in the environment of Taiwan. Based on the Emission Factors (AP-42) method, the emissions of the non-methane hydrocarbons (NMHCs) from dry cleaning business had decreased from 5100 metric tons in 1997 to 2800 metric tons in 2007. The success of significant reduction of NMHCs in Taiwan has been ascribed to the fact that Taiwan established the relevant regulations at the end of the 1990s. From the data on the industrial/commercial demand for PCE and the emission inventories of NMHCs from dry cleaning business, the reduction of PCE emissions will show a declining trend in the near future.