Dry Cleaners Get Reprieve on Warnings : Environment: Officials won’t require businesses to notify neighbors until compounds are proved to be a health hazard.

Dry cleaners won a reprieve Friday from a controversial rule requiring them to notify neighbors of plans to use suspected cancer-causing or toxic chemicals at their plants.

On an 8-0 vote, the South Coast Air Quality Management District board ruled that no public notice will be required until a chemical is actually found to be a carcinogen or toxic air contaminant.

Until Friday’s vote, public notification was required if a chemical was merely suspected as a health threat.

Dry cleaners protested that requiring them to notify neighbors of plans to use a suspected cancer-causing cleaning solvent--perchloroethylene--would unnecessarily alarm neighbors and drive dry cleaners out of business.

The dry cleaners’ victory may be short-lived, however.

The state Air Resources Board is scheduled to act next month on a staff recommendation to list perchloroethylene as a toxic air contaminant.

“If they decide it is a carcinogen, we’ll amend the rule and (dry cleaners) will be back where they were yesterday,” AQMD spokesman Tom Eichhorn said after Friday’s vote.

Environmentalists assailed the vote, warning that it would touch off a rush by dry cleaners to apply for permits to use the solvent before the state acts next month.

“What we have now is a window where the dry cleaners can really scramble to get their permits in the pipeline,” Tim Little of the Coalition for Clean Air said.

Before the vote, environmentalists urged the board to delay its decision for at least a month until the state Air Resources Board could act. But a motion to delay was defeated on a tie vote.

Little contended that much more than dry-cleaning establishments was at stake in Friday’s vote.

During the next year, numerous other chemicals suspected of being toxic air contaminants will come under review, including those emitted by oil refineries and other big industries.

By changing the rule Friday, major industries will not be required to notify the public if their expansion plans involve chemicals that are only under review.

“This (dry-cleaning fight) was a reconnaissance in force by big chemical manufacturers to probe how weak the district would be on chemical rules,” Little said. “We feel they were using the dry cleaners as a shot across the bow.”

Industry representatives supported the change.

An oil industry official challenged Little’s contention that the rule would allow a wide range of industries to escape public notification.

“As far as refineries, this rule (change) is not expected to change our notification program,” said Michael Wang, manager of operations and environmental issues with the Western States Petroleum Assn.

Wang said his association supported the change to bring the district’s notification requirements in line with state rules.