Environmental regulations and the diffusion of clean technologies in the dry cleaning industry

Abstract

Most dry cleaners in the United States use perchloroethylene, a chemical whose vapors are emitted into the ambient air during the dry cleaning process. Scientific studies have linked perchloroethylene exposure to increased risks for cancer and other health problems. In 2002, the South Coast Air Quality Management District (AQMD) adopted Rule 1421, a regulation requiring the dry cleaning industry in the South Coast Basin of California to adopt alternative technologies to perchloroethylene. In this article I examine how alternative technologies to perchloroethylene have been diffusing throughout the industry in response to Rule 1421. My research reveals that the industry is highly skeptical of alternative technologies on economic and political grounds. Despite these problems, the industry has made progress in substituting alternative technologies for perchloroethylene. The challenge for policy makers is to mitigate barriers to the diffusion process so the full environmental benefits of Rule 1421 can be realised.