Why are Childcare Facilities in Shopping Centers?

I don’t believe that family and childcare facilities should be in outdoor strip malls. The reason is many of those businesses are located in proximity of current or former dry cleaners, which are notorious for releases of solvents. 

Dry cleaning in its earliest iteration dates to the 1800s when people washed fabrics in open tubs with petroleum-based solvents, such as kerosene, gasoline, turpentine, and others; however, that was pretty dangerous as you would imagine. As technology evolved a new prominent dry-cleaning solvent evolved that was much less flammable but had other hidden dangers. Perchloroethylene (PCE; also referred to as tetrachloroethylene) was used for decades starting in the 1940s.

PCE is designated as a hazardous waste, which is ironic, because it is also used to clean clothes. As such, its use must be tracked down to the pound and it is handled from “cradle-to-grave”, meaning its mismanagement at any point along the chain of its disposal can present a liability for the parties involved (i.e., waste hauler, generating facility, or transporter). PCE exposure can lead to adverse effects in the kidney, liver, immune system, and development and reproduction. Exposure can occur through inhalation, ingestion, or dermal. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) has designated PCE as a “potential occupational carcinogen” and the National Toxicology Program has designated it as “reasonably anticipated to be a human carcinogen.”

So many dry cleaners have identified releases of PCE that occurred through incidental interior spills migrating through cracks in the slabs, improper storage, improper disposal, and other means, that the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) has its own Drycleaning Solvent Cleanup Program. According to the August 2022 FDEP Drycleaning Program Status, 876 dry-cleaning sites with releases are awaiting regulatory cleanup or assessment.

PCE once it gets into soil is persistent and mobile, herein lies the issue. Vapor intrusion can occur when soil gas enters a building through cracks, seams, sewer/water lines, or other preferential pathways. Many adjoining tenants are not often aware of potential releases and can operate without knowledge of potential exposure. Cleanup often entails evaluating soil and groundwater (not indoor air) and adjoining tenant spaces are rarely evaluated to determine whether there have been impacts to indoor air quality. If you are simply running into or out of a store for a short period, then your exposure in these scenarios is limited. However, childcare facilities typically house occupants for extended periods of time, which increases the risk of adverse health effects.

So what can be done you ask? The State of Vermont has taken the precautionary step of identifying childcare facilities located within 200 feet of current and former dry cleaners to test the indoor air quality. However, to date no such program exists within the State of Florida. Therefore, the responsibility is on the owner of these establishments to advocate on behalf of their children, staff, and families to ensure their personal welfare. Indoor air assessments are the first step in the process.