A 1997 US study found increased levels of three cancers in drycleaning and laundry workers. Causes of death in a group of workers from these industries across 28 US states was compared to those for all industries. Among drycleaning and laundry workers, there was an increased risk of deaths from cancer of the oesophagus and larynx. Among female workers aged 65 years or more there was also increased deaths from cancer of the genital organs. The survey raised concerns about exposure to the common drycleaning solvent perc (perchloroethylene or tetrachloroethylene). In 2014, IARC rated perc as “probably carcinogenic to humans (Group 2A).”

JT Walker and others. Cancer mortality among laundry and drycleaning worker, American Journal of Industrial Medicine, volume 32, pages 614-619, 1997. Also see: IARC monograph 106, 2014.