WAKE FOREST, NC – The Environmental Protection Agency is opening a temporary office here after a dozen homes tested for high levels of trichloroethylene.

The EPA said the source of the carcinogen might be a former printed circuit board manufacturer called Circuit Board Assemblers. According to the Triangle Business Journal, a company called Circuit Board Assemblers was founded in 1987 by Carol and Tom Albright. It was then acquired by Flextronics in 2000, then closed in 2007. It is not clear whether this is the same company the EPA is citing.

The agency found high levels of TCE in the water of 12 homes. It has installed onsite filters to aid assist in treating the water prior to use. It also has reportedly found traces of TCE in at least 21 area wells.

TCE has been used to clean circuit boards after assembly. The EPA reports that available epidemiological studies associate trichloroethylene exposure with several types of cancers in humans, especially kidney, liver, cervix, and lymphatic system.

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