Trichloroethylene (TCE)
TCE·Affects liver, kidneys, brain
An industrial metal degreasing solvent and one of the most common groundwater contaminants in the United States. Classified by the EPA as a known human carcinogen causing kidney cancer.
TCE
EPA limit
0.005 mg/L (MCL)
Most at risk
Households near current or former machine shops, military bases, electronics manufacturers, or known Superfund sites
Found in
City water · Well water · Industrial areas
AquaOx filters
YesActivated coconut shell carbon
What it does to you
Health effects
TCE is one of the most thoroughly studied drinking water contaminants and one of the most concerning. The EPA classifies it as carcinogenic to humans by all routes of exposure, with strong epidemiological evidence linking exposure to kidney cancer, non-Hodgkin lymphoma, and liver cancer. IARC classifies it in Group 1, known human carcinogen.
Beyond cancer, TCE damages the liver, the kidneys, and the central nervous system. It is also a developmental toxicant: prenatal exposure has been linked to fetal cardiac malformations, which is why several states have set MCLs below the federal 5 ppb limit.
TCE is highly volatile, so showering, dishwashing, and bathing release the compound into indoor air. Inhalation exposure during these activities often equals or exceeds ingestion. Vapor intrusion from contaminated groundwater into buildings is a separate, well-documented exposure route independent of the water supply.
Where it comes from
How it gets into your water
TCE was the dominant metal degreasing solvent in the 20th century, used wherever metal parts needed cleaning: aerospace manufacturing, electronics production, machine shops, military bases, and automotive assembly. Decades of routine use, spills, and improper waste disposal contaminated soil and groundwater at tens of thousands of industrial sites.
TCE is dense, persistent, and migrates as a separate liquid phase deep into aquifers, where it slowly dissolves and forms long-lived plumes that can travel for miles. The compound is by some measures the single most common groundwater contaminant in the United States. Famous cases include Camp Lejeune, Woburn, Massachusetts, and Mountain View, California.
Microbial dechlorination in groundwater produces a daughter product sequence (cis-1,2-DCE, vinyl chloride) that often accompanies TCE detections and is itself toxic.
Metal degreasing
Aerospace, machine shops, automotive
Electronics plants
Semiconductor and circuit board cleaning
Contaminated wells
Most common groundwater contaminant in US
Military bases
Legacy contamination at thousands of sites
Find out for yourself
Is it in your water?
TCE is EPA-regulated and all community water systems must test for it and report results on the Consumer Confidence Report. Because TCE is so widespread, many municipal utilities have detectable levels and operate granular activated carbon plants specifically to keep finished water below the 5 ppb MCL.
Private well owners in any area with a history of industrial activity, military bases, or known Superfund sites should request a full VOC panel including TCE, PCE, the DCE breakdown products, and vinyl chloride. EPA EnviroFacts and state cleanup site maps can help identify nearby sources. Even rural wells can be affected if a plume from an old facility has migrated.
The fix
How AquaOx filters it
Activated carbon is the proven treatment for TCE at both municipal and home scale. The Centaur catalytic carbon and coconut shell carbon stages in The AquaOx adsorb TCE efficiently as water passes through, with independent testing showing reductions of more than 95% across the VOC family.
Whole-home filtration matters here because TCE vaporizes during showers and dishwashing. Treating only the kitchen tap leaves the household exposed through inhalation. For homes on a known plume, we recommend pairing The AquaOx whole-home system with the under-sink RO at the kitchen tap for a second-stage polish on drinking and cooking water.