The first solvents to be used were highly flammable, which led to the introduction of perchloroethylene (PERC) a non-flammable solvent. But PERC2, is considered a likely human carcinogen that, when mishandled, can harm aquatic habitats and contaminate drinking water and the air we breathe.
PERC is also subject to an increasing number of controls and regulations. The US EPA first regulated PERC in dry cleaning facilities in 1993 and has been tightening these restrictions ever since.3 California will implement a state-wide ban on PERC in dry-cleaning by 2023.4
Concerns about PERC have led to the creation of a new generation of dry-cleaning solvents.
ExxonMobil Chemical has developed DF-2000, an isoparaffinic hydrocarbon-based fluid that is an effective replacement for PERC. DF-2000 reduces the risk of harmful exposure, emissions and waste in the dry-cleaning industry, consistent with several UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)5. In fact, the risk of overexposure to workers is 350 times less with DF-2000 dry-cleaning fluid6 and DF-2000 is more than 1,000 times less hazardous to the aquatic environment than PERC.7