What Is Trichloroethylene (TCE)? A Plain-Language Guide for Wichita Residents

What is trichloroethylene? In plain terms, TCE is a man-made industrial solvent once used to clean grease off metal. It was found in the groundwater beneath northeast Wichita, tied to the old rail yard near the 29th and Grove area.

Here is the clear version, no jargon.

If you live in or grew up around northeast Wichita, three letters keep coming up: TCE. This guide answers the plain question, what is trichloroethylene, and explains how it reached the groundwater and why free testing is being offered. For the bigger-picture context on why it matters to the community, the site’s overview of why TCE matters is a good companion piece.

What Is TCE, in Simple Terms?

TCE is short for trichloroethylene, a colorless, man-made liquid with a faintly sweet smell that evaporates quickly into the air. It does not occur in nature. People made it, and for much of the 20th century, industries used a great deal of it.

What It Was Used For

Its main job was industrial cleaning. TCE is very effective at stripping grease and oil off metal, a process called metal degreasing, which made it popular in manufacturing, transportation, military operations, and repair shops. For a time it also appeared in everyday products such as paint removers, adhesives, spot cleaners, and shoe polish. As researchers learned more about its health risks, its use became far more restricted, but by then it had already been used widely for decades.

How Did TCE Get Into Wichita’s Groundwater?

Groundwater is simply water that sits underground, soaking through soil, sand, and rock. When a chemical like TCE is spilled or disposed of improperly, it can seep down through the soil until it reaches that water.

The Local Source

In the area known as “29th and Grove,” environmental investigations traced TCE in the groundwater back to historical industrial activity at the former Union Pacific rail yard. In this part of Wichita, groundwater sits roughly 14 to 25 feet below the surface, close enough that a release at ground level can, over time, reach it.

How a Plume Forms

Once TCE reaches groundwater, it does not stay put. Groundwater flows slowly underground and carries the contamination with it, forming what experts call a plume, a stretch of contaminated groundwater spreading out from the source. The plume beneath northeast Wichita extends nearly three miles south of the rail yard. That slow, quiet spread over decades is why an area far larger than the original release site is included in the testing program. To see whether your home, school, or workplace sits within it, read our guide to whether your neighborhood is in the affected area.

How Could People Be Exposed?

A common assumption is that groundwater only matters if you drink it. In reality, exposure could have happened in several ways, depending on where a person lived or worked: through well water used for drinking or cooking, through direct contact with contaminated groundwater, or by breathing vapors that rise from groundwater into buildings, a process called vapor intrusion.

Because TCE evaporates so readily, the vapor pathway means someone could have been exposed simply by spending time indoors in a building above the plume. How long a person was in the area, and whether they used well water, both shape their potential exposure, which is part of why testing is offered so broadly.

Why It Matters for Your Health

Public health agencies, including the U.S. EPA, the International Agency for Research on Cancer, and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, classify TCE as a known human carcinogen, with links to the liver, kidneys, immune system, and nervous system. It is important to be clear that exposure does not automatically cause illness; outcomes depend on how much and how long someone was exposed and on personal factors like age and family history. For the full picture of the organ systems involved and the timeline of effects, see our detailed guide to TCE health effects over time.

TCE Is Not the Only Chemical Involved

While TCE is the primary contaminant tied to the rail yard, it is not the only chemical of concern. A related dry-cleaning solvent, perchloroethylene, or PCE, reached local groundwater from separate sources. The two are chemically related and raise similar health concerns, which is why the testing program covers exposure to either one.

Q: Can I be tested for TCE in my body?
TCE leaves the body within days, so testing for the chemical itself is rarely useful long after exposure. That is why Clearway screenings check your overall health and organ function instead.

Q: Is TCE still used today?
Its use is far more restricted now than in the 20th century, as its health risks became better understood. The concern in Wichita is the contamination left behind in groundwater from past use.

What You Can Do Now

Understanding TCE is the first step. The second is finding out where your own health stands. If you lived, worked, went to school, or spent time near 29th and Grove, free health testing is available through December 31, 2026. It is quick, private, and completely free.

Free testing is available through December 31, 2026. No insurance required.