trichloroethylene
noun
tri·chlo·ro·eth·y·lene
| \ ˌtrī-ˌklȯr-ō-ˈe-thə-ˌlēn
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Definition of trichloroethylene
: a nonflammable toxic liquid C2HCl3 used especially as an industrial solvent
Examples of trichloroethylene in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Water Gremlin, which makes fishing sinkers and battery terminals, has been cited for releasing excessive trichloroethylene — or TCE — for 17 years. — Bob Shaw, Twin Cities, "Water Gremlin, PCA at standoff over polluting chemicals," 16 Aug. 2019 Ripon was once home to a Nestle plant that used trichloroethylene, or TCE, to decaffeinate coffee until the 1970s. — CBS News, "After at least 7 children diagnosed with cancer, parents eye chemical in city's water," 19 July 2019 The contamination in Franklin is a combination of trichloroethylene, or TCE, and tetrachloroethylene, or PCE. — Sarah Bowman, Indianapolis Star, "Inspector General: EPA misled Franklin residents about cancer risks in groundwater," 14 May 2019 Another is trichloroethylene, which is used to make a refrigerant chemical and remove grease from metal parts and is associated with cancers of the liver, kidneys and blood. — Eric Lipton, New York Times, "The Chemical Industry Scores a Big Win at the E.P.A.," 7 June 2018 Groundwater in the area is polluted with trichloroethylene, tetrachloroethylene and 1,1 dichloroethylene at levels above Safe Drinking Water Act standards, according to an EPA fact sheet published in January. — Louis Sahagun, latimes.com, "EPA's move to fast-track Orange County groundwater cleanup questioned," 9 May 2018 This included reevaluating plans to ban certain uses of two chemicals that have caused dozens of deaths or severe health problems: methylene chloride and trichloroethylene, both of which have been used by Momentive employees. — Ian Frisch, Longreads, "The Strike: Chemicals, Cancer, and the Fight for Health Care," 16 Apr. 2018 The trichloroethylene that Eagle Industries employees dumped at 10901 SE 29 St. has largely moved on, migrating through groundwater to the southwest, where it is expected to threaten homes and businesses for years to come. — Justin Wingerter, The Seattle Times, "Development continues at Oklahoma Superfund site," 24 Dec. 2017 One of the first chemicals the EPA plans to evaluate as part of the new chemical safety regulations is trichloroethylene, the chemical found to have contaminated water in North Carolina. — Heidi Vogt, WSJ, "Trump’s Pick to Oversee Chemical Safety at EPA Withdraws," 14 Dec. 2017These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'trichloroethylene.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for trichloroethylene
trichloroethylene
noun
tri·chlo·ro·eth·y·lene
variants:
also trichlorethylene \ -ˈeth-ə-ˌlēn
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Medical Definition of trichloroethylene
: a nonflammable liquid C2HCl3 used as a solvent and in medicine as an anesthetic and analgesic
—abbreviation TCE