New ban takes effect on silent killer lurking in many household products: 'A major milestone'

The Environmental Protection Agency has put on hold a ban on a toxic chemical once found in huge volumes at North Carolina's Camp Lejeune military base.

The ban was scheduled to take effect Jan. 16 and would have regulated trichloroethylene, or TCE, a colorless, volatile chemical compound that has been used to make refrigerants and as a degreasing formula for metal equipment. The EPA said it delayed the ban until March 21 in association with the "Regulatory Freeze Pending Review" memorandum from President Donald Trump on Jan. 20.

TCE — which can also be found in everyday household products like cleaning wipes, paint removers, carpet cleaners, and spot removers — is a known carcinogen that was most famously found in the highly contaminated drinking water at Camp Lejeune. Military communities working and living there during the contamination have been diagnosed with serious conditions at significantly higher rates than normal, as CNN reported.

Half a million compensation claims have been filed by affected individuals. As a result, the EPA took action and made the groundbreaking decision to ban TCE manufacturing, processing, and distribution. The ban was delayed along with three other planned orders that pertained to air quality, the EPA said.

When and if it takes effect, the far-reaching TCE ban will phase out all such products from circulation over the next year, with the goal of protecting millions of Americans from being exposed to the cancer-causing chemical on a daily basis.

It is also a massive victory for the military community members affected by the contamination crisis at Camp Lejeune, who were also able to file for disability-related restitution after 2022 legislation promoting action to help those affected.

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Roughly 2-8% of all cancers around the globe are directly caused by carcinogen exposure at the workplace, so this EPA ban is an incredible step forward for public health in America.

Recently, several fast fashion brands were exposed for their use of carcinogens. Meanwhile, a Food and Drug Administration-proposed ban to prevent formaldehyde from being used in hair products was put in jeopardy. There is still a long way to go toward eliminating harmful toxins from American homes.

Dr. Emmanuel Obeng-Gyasi, a professor at the North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University, suggested to The Carolina Journal that we can protect ourselves through "personal protective equipment, administrative controls in the workplace, and legislative action to help decrease the proportion of disease burden that chemicals contribute."

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