Details - Public Health Image Library(PHIL)

ID#:

9451

Caption:

This 1950 historical photograph was provided by the Center for Disease Control's (CDC), National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), and depicted a Sani-System cleaning unit in a chlorinated hydrocarbon dry-cleaning plant. In the 1950s, the Industrial Hygiene Division (IHD) investigated hazards in dry cleaning environments. New nonflammable cleaners had recently been introduced that created concerns about their toxicity. Modern dry-cleaning machines now employ a closed system, whereupon, clothes may be cleaned, and dried in one machine without having to be transferred between two functionally different machines. As of 2005, there were approximately 36,000 dry cleaning businesses in the U.S., most employing less than ten people. The focus today is on the perchloroethylene (tetrachloroethylene of Perc), used as a solvent in 85% of dry cleaning shops. It is carcinogenic in animals, and suspected to be so in humans.

High Resolution:

Click here for hi-resolution image (11.35 MB)

Content Provider(s):

CDC/ Barbara Jenkins, NIOSH

Creation Date:

1950

Photo Credit:

Unknown

Links:

Categories:

CDC Organization