Pollution
Humain
Environnement
Economique

Subsequent to a tetrachloroethylene leak inside a dry cleaners, a strip mall had to be evacuated and several individuals hospitalised for observation and exams. A municipal order suspended onsite dry cleaning operations until the time local authorities were notified that a certificate of compliance and good working order of equipment had been issued by a competent oversight body. Tetrachloroethylene leaking from a still had spread over the shop floor. Since the installations had not been equipped with a retention system, the product then flowed via an expansion joint from the floor slab to the basement. Both dry cleaning machines and the two associated stills had originally been charged with 800 litres of solvent.