A dangerous chemical was left at these former dry cleaners. Here’s where they stood
In 1998, Modesto sued Dow Chemical and PPG Industries for millions of dollars in damages resulting from a chemical, known as PCE, that was used at dry cleaners across the city and leaked into the soil. PCE can move from the soil into the air or water and cause cancer and is linked to other diseases, like non-Hodgkin lymphoma.
That court saga moved one step forward this week as Modesto won $4 million in damages and Dow Chemical faces $56.3 million in punitive damages.
But while the court battle raged on for years, the city has made little progress in removing PCE from the soil. The Bee analyzed the most recent data from the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) to map out where the chemical may still lie. In every case studied, there is limited available data about the scope and danger of the soil’s contamination.
The map uses spatial coordinates, rather than addresses, to identify each location, because in some cases the addresses apply to multiple properties beyond where the dry cleaners stood. In many cases, CDPH also noted a radius where there might be contamination.
In total, there are 23 locations of concern.
This story was originally published October 28, 2022 at 7:00 AM.
