The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health received a Proposition 65 Notice from the California Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC). DTSC is investigating contamination near Courtesy Cleaners located at 1705 E. Compton Blvd, Compton, CA 90221.  

DTSC is the lead regulatory agency and is performing indoor air and subsurface sampling at the site under its oversight. The activities at the site are under environmental investigation. If necessary, there will be cleanup, and/or mitigation measures to support the continued operation of Courtesy Cleaners and the other businesses located in the plaza. Courtesy Cleaners has operated as a dry cleaner within Courtesy Plaza since the 1950s. 

This dry cleaner has used tetrachloroethylene (PCE) in their dry-cleaning operations, which may have contaminated the soil and groundwater nearby. PCE in soil vapor can enter buildings through foundation cracks, potentially affecting indoor air quality in a process called vapor intrusion. In the environment, PCE naturally degrades into trichloroethylene (TCE). 

Courtesy Cleaners and other dry cleaners used PCE in their operations for many decades until it was banned in 2023. According to the State of California, PCE, TCE, and some of the other volatile organic compounds (VOCs) can cause cancer. 

The United States Environmental Protection Agency, Region 9 (USEPA) has identified cancer and non-cancer hazards from PCE and TCE exposure in indoor air, posing risks to pregnant women and potential for heart defects in the fetus. Prolonged exposure may also increase cancer risk. 

Visit the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) website for detailed fact sheets on the health effects of PCE and TCE at:
https://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/toxfaqs/tfacts18.pdf and https://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/toxfaqs/tfacts19.pdf

The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health is responsible for providing this information to the local news media pursuant to California Health and Safety Code section 25180.7 (d). The intent of Proposition 65 - Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act of 1986 is to protect the public and its drinking water resource, and to inform the public about potential exposures to chemical.