Your Dry-Cleaned Shirt Might Be Quietly Scarring Your Liver

Keypoints:

• A new study links tetrachloroethylene (PCE) exposure to a tripled risk of liver scarring
• PCE is widely used in dry cleaning and some household products
• Researchers measured PCE levels directly in participants' blood
• The findings add liver damage to a growing list of health concerns tied to the chemical
• The study was published via ScienceDaily on September 7

A chemical most people associate with fresh dry cleaning may be damaging the liver of people regularly exposed to it. Researchers found people with detectable tetrachloroethylene, or PCE, in their blood were three times more likely to show liver scarring than people without measurable exposure.

PCE has been a workhorse dry-cleaning solvent for decades. It removes grease and stains without damaging fabric. It also shows up in household and industrial products beyond dry cleaning. Exposure isn't limited to people who work directly with it.

The study measured PCE levels in blood directly, not self-reported exposure or workplace records. That's a more rigorous link than exposure surveys typically provide. Researchers compared blood levels against actual liver-scarring markers. Liver scarring, or fibrosis, develops silently over years, with few symptoms until damage progresses.

The finding adds to a chemical already drawing regulatory attention for other concerns, including links to certain cancers and neurological effects in prior research. For people near dry-cleaning facilities or working with PCE directly, the study adds liver health to the list of reasons exposure reduction matters. Researchers say more work is needed to pin down how much exposure, over what duration, drives the risk.