California Business Owners File Suit against Commercial Property Owners

LA Testing provides hazardous waste testing services to detect perchloroethylene and other potentially dangerous chemicals.

Garden Grove, CA

Earlier this month, it was reported in the Marin Independent Journal that former business owners of a video store have filed a lawsuit against their past landlords in Fairfax, California. The suit alleges that the property owners knew of improperly disposed of perchloroethylene at the shopping center by another tenant that operated a dry cleaning business, but did not inform the video store owners.

In 2009, the video store owners became aware of an unusual odor. They subsequently hired an environmental consulting firm that found unsafe levels of perchloroethylene in the air.

Perchloroethylene (also called PERC) is a colorless, nonflammable liquid. The largest traditional user of PERC is the dry cleaning industry. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), “Exposure to perchloroethylene can occur in the workplace or in the environment following releases to air, water, land, or groundwater"

Exposure can also occur when people:

• Use products containing PERC,
• Spend time in dry cleaning facilities that use PERC,
• Live above or adjacent to these dry cleaning facilities, or
• Bring dry cleaned garments into their home.

“PERC can enter the body when breathed in with contaminated air or when consumed with contaminated food or water,” reported Ben Sublasky, National Director of Client Services for LA Testing and EMSL Analytical, leading PERC testing laboratories. “Once in the body, PERC can remain stored in fat tissue. Exposure to perchloroethylene can cause a host of adverse health effects according to medical research. Fortunately, there are effective ways to test the outdoor and indoor environments for this dangerous chemical.”

To learn more about PERC, hazardous waste or other environmental testing services please visit www.LATesting.com, email info@LATesting.com or call (800) 755-1794.

About LA Testing and EMSL Analytical, Inc.
LA Testing and EMSL Analytical are providers of environmental testing services and products to professionals and the general public. The companies have an extensive list of accreditations from leading organizations as well as state and federal regulating bodies.

Contact Information

Ben Sublasky

National Director of Clients Services/Operations Manager

EMSL Analytical, Inc.

Contact via E-mail