Water Gremlin To Voluntarily Cease Use Of DCE

WHITE BEAR TOWNSHIP, Minn. (WCCO) — Water Gremlin announced Tuesday it will voluntarily discontinue the use of Dichloroethane (DCE) after recent testing revealed DCE vapors were present beneath its manufacturing building.

In a statement, the company said it will discontinue using the solvent Friday, and will resume operations until then to finish previously scheduled work.

READ MORE: Lawsuit Filed Against MPCA Over Water Gremlin Pollution Investigation

DCE is a solvent used to coat battery terminals to prevent them from leaking.

RELATED: New Concerns Over Twin Cities Plant After Toxic Chemicals Found In Soil, Water

The decision comes after testing found DCE vapors beneath the building, prompting the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency to request that Water Gremlin cease its operations involving the solvent.

"While we disagree with some of the MPCA's conclusions, we appreciate the commissioner and her staff for taking the time to meet with us to see first-hand the steps we are taking to improve our environmental performance," Junya Inoue, president of Water Gremlin said.

RELATED: Neighbors Protest Outside Manufacturing Plant Where New Contamination Found

Inoue added, "Our decision to temporarily discontinue the use of DCE at our facility is based on our respect for the MPCA and its request for us to do so. We want our neighbors to know that the DCE vapors are limited to the air space immediately beneath our building and do not pose a risk to our employees, neighbors or the environment."

The company says its installing a vapor mitigation system and will resume its use of DCE after the system is operations.