Eliminate This Parkinson’s-Linked Toxin From Our Communities And Military Bases

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Trichloroethylene has poisoned water, air, and people for decades—and it’s still legal in America. Join the call to ban this toxic chemical now and protect every family from irreversible harm.

Eliminate This Parkinson’s-Linked Toxin From Our Communities And Military Bases

Trichloroethylene (TCE) has been quietly poisoning the air, water, and soil for generations. This industrial solvent, once used to clean machinery, dry clean clothes, and even decaffeinate coffee, remains present in homes and workplaces across the United States. It seeps from contaminated soil, drifts through the air, and lingers in groundwater. Millions are exposed every day without realizing it1.

Scientists now agree: TCE is one of the strongest environmental links to Parkinson’s disease ever discovered. In a landmark study of Marine Corps and Navy veterans, those stationed at Camp Lejeune—where water was contaminated with TCE—faced a 70% higher risk of developing Parkinson’s decades later2. Researchers also found higher rates of early symptoms like loss of smell and sleep disturbances, signs that exposure can trigger slow, irreversible neurological decline.

Invisible Exposure, Lasting Damage

TCE crosses biological membranes with ease. Once inside the body, it damages dopamine-producing neurons, the same cells that deteriorate in Parkinson’s disease. In animal studies, exposure produced identical brain changes seen in humans—mitochondrial failure, inflammation, and loss of motor control3.

The threat doesn’t stop there. The chemical contaminates about one-third of U.S. drinking water supplies and has been detected in breast milk and indoor air. Half of the country’s most toxic Superfund cleanup sites contain TCE, including 15 in California’s Silicon Valley4. Its vapor seeps upward from the ground, infiltrating homes, schools, and offices through cracks in foundations and utility lines. People may breathe toxic air for years before anyone detects the source.

Decades of Evidence, Delayed Action

Although the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency banned most uses of TCE in 2024, loopholes still allow it in industrial degreasing and other applications. The European Union outlawed it years ago over cancer and genetic risks, yet the U.S. remains burdened by legacy contamination. For communities living near old factories, military bases, and dry cleaners, cleanup could take decades5.

Workers remain on the front lines of exposure. Many still handle TCE in manufacturing environments with limited safety oversight. Without a full ban and rigorous national monitoring, the chemical will continue to threaten public health for decades to come.

Act Now for a Safer Future

The science is clear. The damage is ongoing. Federal agencies have the power to end this threat completely. They can protect every family, worker, and community by eliminating all uses of trichloroethylene and expanding cleanup of contaminated sites.

Lives depend on their action. Sign the petition calling on federal leaders to ban trichloroethylene for good and secure a healthier, chemical-free future.

More on this issue:

  1. Meredith Wadman, Science (15 May 2023), "Widely Used Chemical Strongly Linked to Parkinson’s Disease."
  2. Suzanne Leigh, UCSF News (15 May 2023), "Chemical Exposure May Raise Your Risk for Parkinson’s."
  3. E. Ray Dorsey et al., Journal of Parkinson’s Disease (14 March 2023), "Trichloroethylene: An Invisible Cause of Parkinson’s Disease?."
  4. University of Rochester Medical Center (14 March 2023), "Common Dry Cleaning Chemical Linked to Parkinson’s Disease."
  5. Euronews Health (2 October 2025), "Industrial Chemical Banned in the EU Linked to Parkinson’s Disease."

The Petition

To the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) & Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC),

We, the undersigned, call for the immediate and permanent ban of trichloroethylene (TCE) from all applications that endanger human health and the environment.

For nearly a century, TCE has been used to degrease metal parts, clean fabrics, and manufacture refrigerants. It has also contaminated soil, air, and groundwater across the United States, persisting in the environment long after its use has ceased. The chemical easily vaporizes and seeps into homes, schools, and workplaces—exposing millions of Americans without their knowledge or consent.

Scientific research now provides overwhelming evidence that TCE is a major environmental toxin linked to Parkinson’s disease, cancer, birth defects, and organ damage. Studies from the University of California, San Francisco and the Barrow Neurological Institute show that long-term exposure—even at modest levels—raises the risk of Parkinson’s by up to 70 percent. Case studies and animal research confirm that TCE damages dopamine-producing neurons and disrupts mitochondrial function, the same cellular mechanisms destroyed in human Parkinson’s.

Half of the nation’s most toxic EPA Superfund sites are contaminated with TCE. It pollutes up to one-third of U.S. groundwater supplies and continues to enter the air through vapor intrusion from industrial and military sites, including Camp Lejeune, where thousands of veterans and families were exposed for decades. While the EPA’s 2024 decision to restrict TCE was a significant step, partial measures leave millions still at risk—particularly workers, families living near industrial zones, and children whose developing brains are most vulnerable.

We urge the EPA, OSHA, and HHS to act jointly to:

  1. Ban all remaining uses of TCE in industrial, commercial, and consumer applications.
  2. Establish national standards for soil, air, and water monitoring of residual TCE.
  3. Strengthen worker protections and mandate replacement with safer alternatives.
  4. Expand health surveillance and cleanup programs for affected communities.

Every delay compounds the harm. By removing TCE entirely from our environment and industries, federal agencies can prevent future disease, protect workers, and safeguard drinking water. These actions will ensure a cleaner, healthier, and more just future—one where no American’s health is sacrificed to an invisible chemical threat.

Sincerely,

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