Apartment residents above dry cleaners inhale perc at 10x safe levels with no warning

Residents living in apartments directly above perc-using dry cleaners are exposed to tetrachloroethylene (PCE) concentrations averaging 340 micrograms per cubic meter, with spikes measured as high as 55,000 micrograms per cubic meter -- far exceeding the New York State Department of Health recommendation of 30 micrograms per cubic meter. This matters because PCE is a neurotoxicant: even at low doses, chronic exposure causes measurable deficits in color vision, 10-20% slower reaction times, and impaired memory and attention. Residents living near perc dry cleaners also show a 10-27% increased rate ratio for kidney cancer. The structural root cause is that although the EPA's NESHAP rule now prohibits future colocation of dry cleaners in residential buildings, roughly 6,000 perc dry cleaners still operate in the US, many in mixed-use buildings grandfathered under the old rules, and there is no requirement to notify tenants of the chemical exposure risk below them.