PERC Violations Result in $62,500 Penalty

Environment Canada enforcement officers conducted inspections of BC dry cleaning businesses to verify compliance with the regulations on tetrachloroethylene, a toxic substance commonly known as PERC. A subsequent investigation determined that a company had sold PERC to dry cleaning facility owners or operators who didn’t have required secondary containment systems in place, which violates a condition of sale imposed by the regulations. The company pleaded guilty to four violations of the Tetrachloroethylene (Use in Dry Cleaning and Reporting Requirements) Regulations and was ordered to pay $62,500 to the Environmental Damages Fund [Prairie Distributors (B.C.) Inc., Govt. News Release, May 7, 2015].