A Southeast Portland metal finishing company has agreed to stop using a chemical solvent after the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality determined it exceeded Cleaner Air Oregon health risk levels and posed a potential health risk to the nearby community.
Electro-Chem Metal Finishing, located in Portland’s Brooklyn neighborhood, has used the chemical trichloroethylene, or TCE, in a vapor degreasing process to clean metal parts. Air quality modeling by DEQ found that the company’s TCE emissions were many times higher than Oregon’s health-based risk levels. When the agency alerted the company on Thursday, Electro-Chem agreed to immediately stop using the solvent.
The company’s excess TCE emissions came to DEQ’s attention as it was evaluating air quality permit requirements under the Cleaner Air Oregon program. DEQ staff inspected the site to determine how TCE was being released into the air, and Electro-Chem provided the agency with data about its use of the chemical. Electro-Chem emitted TCE intermittently, meaning it was not released to the air on a continuous basis. Records show the company used TCE about once per week…