ABSTRACT
Chlorinated organic solvents, including trichloroethene (TCE) and tetrachloroethene (PCE), are ubiquitous environmental contaminants due to extensive industrial usage. Their high toxicity and recalcitrance pose risks to ecosystems and public health. Despite strengthened regulations in recent decades, TCE and PCE usage remains high, indicating a need for continued pollution control efforts. As dense non-aqueous phase liquids, TCE and PCE can persist in soils and groundwater, presenting toxicity risks through ingestion, inhalation, and dermal contact. Documented adverse effects include carcinogenesis, hepatotoxicity, nephrotoxicity, central nervous system impairment, and reproductive toxicity. To mitigate contamination, legal restrictions aim to reduce chlorinated solvent usage. Additionally, remediation technologies have been developed, including biostimulation to promote microbial reductive dechlorination and bioaugmentation with specialized dechlorination. Ongoing research focuses on monitoring, fate and transport modeling, and quantitative human health risk assessment to inform remediation design. The integration of innovative characterization techniques with computational models and risk analyses generates critical insights for remediation decision-making. Further advancement of novel technologies alongside strengthened regulatory oversight is imperative to safeguard ecosystem and public health from chlorinated solvent discharges. This review summarizes key information regarding the behavior, toxicity, and current control approaches for chlorinated solvents as an aid for environmental management. Overall, concerted efforts coupling technological innovation, risk analyses, and regulations are necessary to curb chlorinated solvent contamination and associated detrimental health effects.
