CBS News’ Early Show aired a report this morning, “Cancer Danger from Dry Cleaning?” that questions the safety of perc use in drycleaning and wearing drycleaned clothes.
Launching the report with an interview of Mori Mickelson, a woman who experienced health problems while living above a New York City drycleaning plant in the 1990s, the segment casts suspicion on perc as a neurotoxin and possible carcinogen.
“When handled properly, perc is extremely safe,” Nora Nealis, executive director of the National Cleaners Association, told Early Show correspondent Tracy Smith. “I have friends and neighbors and family members who are in the drycleaning industry, and I have no compunction whatsoever about their health or safety.”
Noting that California recently moved to ban perc use by 2023, the segment then briefly examined alterative technologies such as wetcleaning. Consumers’ other choice, Smith suggests, is to avoid wearing “Dryclean only” clothing.
To watch the segment, click here.
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