A study has been published in Environmental Health that links exposure to tetrachloroethylene to birth defects. The chemical is also known as perchlorethylene (PCE)and is used as a solvent in drinking water occasionally.
The study looked at eight towns in the Cape Cod Massachusetts area from 1969 to 1983. The water pipes in that area were coated with a vinyl that contained the PCE. The study found an increased risk of oral clefts and neural tube defects in children. There were 1,658 children born in that span; 61 had congenital anomalies.
Ann Aschengrau is a study researcher from the Boston University School of Public Health. She said, “The results suggest that the risk of certain congenital anomalies is increased among the offspring of women who were exposed to PCE-contaminated drinking water around the time of conception.”
