In a strip mall adjacent to a supermarket, prior to opening time, a tetrachloroethylene leak occurred on a clothes washing machine inside a dry cleaning shop; 15 employees had to be evacuated, one of whom became seriously intoxicated and 7 others much more mildly inconvenienced. Analyses performed in the shop premises revealed tetrachloroethylene concentrations reaching 200 ppm. Following ventilation of the site, the supermarket was opened to the public. Foodstuffs exposed to the solvent vapours were submitted to competent authorities for verification. This facility had previously been the target of complaints due to olfactory nuisances.