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PUBLIC HEALTH STATEMENT 

1,2-DICHLOROETHENE 

CAS#: 540-59-0 (mixture) 

156-59-2 (cis) 

156-60-5 (trans) 

Division of Toxicology August 1996 

This Public Health Statement is the summary 

chapter from the Toxicological Profile for 1,2-

Dichloroethene. It is one in a series of Public Health 

Statements about hazardous substances and their 

health effects. A shorter version, the ToxFAQsTM is 

also available. This information is important 

because this substance may harm you. The effects 

of exposure to any hazardous substance depend on 

the dose, the duration, how you are exposed, 

personal traits and habits, and whether other 

chemicals are present. For more information, call 

the ATSDR Information Center at 1-888-422-8737. 

This public health statement tells you about 1,2-

dichloroethene and the effects of exposure. 

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) 

identifies the most serious hazardous waste sites in 

the nation. These sites make up the National 

Priorities List (NPL) and are the sites targeted for 

long-term federal cleanup activities. Cis-1,2-

dichloroethene has been found in at least 146 of the 

1,430 current or former NPL sites. Trans-1,2-

dichloroethene has been found in at least 563 of the 

1,430 current or former NPL sites. In 336 of the 

NPL sites, 1,2-dichloroethene was found but the 

isomer was not specified. However, it's unknown 

how many NPL sites have been evaluated for this 

substance. As more sites are evaluated, the sites 

with 1,2-dichloroethene may increase. This 

information is important because exposure to this 

substance may harm you and because these sites 

may be sources of exposure. 

When a substance is released from a large area, 

such as an industrial plant, or from a container, such 

as a drum or bottle, it enters the environment. This 

release does not always lead to exposure. You are 

exposed to a substance only when you come in 

contact with it. You may be exposed by breathing, 

eating, or drinking the substance or by skin contact. 

If you are exposed to 1,2-dichloroethene, many 

factors determine whether you'll be harmed. These 

factors include the dose (how much), the duration 

(how long), and how you come in contact with it. 

You must also consider the other chemicals you're 

exposed to and your age, sex, diet, family traits, 

lifestyle, and state of health. 

1.1 WHAT IS 1,2-DICHLOROETHENE? 

1,2-Dichloroethene is also called 1,2-

dichloroethylene. It is a highly flammable, colorless 

liquid with a sharp, harsh odor. You can smell very 

small amounts of 1,2-dichloroethene in air 

(beginning at a level of about 17 parts per million or 

ppm). There are two forms of 1,2-dichloroethene; 

one form is called cis-1,2-dichloroethene and the 

other is called trans-1,2-dichloroethene. Sometimes 

both forms are present as a mixture. 1,2-

Dichloroethene is used most often to produce 

solvents and in chemical mixtures. 

1,2-Dichloroethene enters the environment through 

industrial activity of people. This chemical has been 

found in air, water, and soil. 1,2-Dichloroethene is 

released to the environment from chemical factories 

that make or use this chemical, from landfills and 

hazardous waste sites containing this chemical, 

from chemical spills, from burning of objects made 

of vinyl, and from breakdown of other chlorinated 

chemicals. 

DEPARTMENT of HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES, Public Health Service
 

Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry 

www.atsdr.cdc.gov/ Telephone: 1-888-422-8737 Fax: 770-488-4178 E-Mail: atsdric@cdc.gov 
 

 

 

 

 

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PUBLIC HEALTH STATEMENT 

1,2-DICHLOROETHENE 

CAS#: 540-59-0 (mixture) 

156-59-2 (cis) 

156-60-5 (trans) 

Division of Toxicology August 1996 

1.2 WHAT HAPPENS TO 1,2-

DICHLOROETHENE WHEN IT ENTERS 

THE ENVIRONMENT? 

1,2-Dichloroethene evaporates rapidly. When 

released to moist soil surfaces or to lakes, rivers, 

and other bodies of water, most of it evaporates into 

the air. Once in the air, it usually takes about 5-12 

days for half of any amount of it to break down 

(half-life in air). 1,2-Dichloroethene that is below 

soil surfaces in landfills or hazardous waste sites 

may dissolve in water, seep deeper into the soil, and 

possibly contaminate groundwater. Some 1,2-

dichloroethene may escape as a vapor. Once in 

groundwater, it takes about 13-48 weeks for half of 

a given amount to break down (half-life in water). 

There is a slight chance that small amounts of the 

1,2-dichloroethene found in landfills will eventually 

break down into vinyl chloride, which is believed to 

be a more hazardous chemical. 

1.3 HOW MIGHT I BE EXPOSED TO 1,2-

DICHLOROETHENE? 

You might be exposed to 1,2-dichloroethene by 

breathing contaminated air or by drinking 

contaminated tap water. If the tap water in your 

home is contaminated, you could also be breathing 

1,2-dichloroethene vapors while cooking, bathing, 

or washing dishes. There are no known products 

you can buy that contain 1,2-dichloroethene. People 

who are most likely to be exposed live near landfills 

and hazardous waste sites that contain this 

chemical, work at factories where this chemical is 

made or used, work at 1,2-dichloroethene 

contaminated landfills, or work as firefighters. Jobrelated exposure results from breathing in 1,2-

dichloroethene from workplace air or from touching 

contaminated chemicals or materials. According to 

a survey conducted between 1981 and 1983 by the 

National Institute for Occupational Safety and 

Health (NIOSH), an estimated 215 people in the 

United States may have been exposed to 1,2-

dichloroethene while working. 

People who live in cities or suburbs are more likely 

to be exposed than people living in rural areas. Most 

people who are exposed to 1,2-dichloroethene 

through air or water are exposed to very low levels, 

in the range of parts per million (ppm) to parts per 

billion (ppb). 

1.4 HOW CAN 1,2-DICHLOROETHENE 

ENTER AND LEAVE MY BODY? 

1,2-Dichloroethene can enter the body through your 

lungs when you breathe air contaminated with it, 

through your stomach and intestines when you eat 

food or drink water contaminated with it, or through 

your skin upon contact with the chemical. 

When 1,2-dichloroethene enters the body, the blood 

and other tissues absorb it. It is broken down to 

other compounds in the liver. Animal studies have 

looked at how quickly the compound enters and 

leaves the body and what may happen to it in the 

body. These animal studies describe effects at levels 

far greater than those levels at which most people 

would be exposed. No studies show specifically 

how 1,2-dichloroethene enters a person's body and 

how it is changed or removed by the body. 

DEPARTMENT of HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES, Public Health Service
 

Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry 

www.atsdr.cdc.gov/ Telephone: 1-888-422-8737 Fax: 770-488-4178 E-Mail: atsdric@cdc.gov 
 

 

 

 

 

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PUBLIC HEALTH STATEMENT 

1,2-DICHLOROETHENE 

CAS#: 540-59-0 (mixture) 

156-59-2 (cis) 

156-60-5 (trans) 

Division of Toxicology August 1996 

1.5 HOW CAN 1,2-DICHLOROETHENE 

AFFECT MY HEALTH? 

Breathing high levels of trans-1,2-dichloroethene 

can make you feel nauseous, drowsy, and tired. 

Breathing very high levels of its vapor can kill you. 

When animals breathed high levels of trans-1,2-

dichloroethene for short or longer periods of time, 

their livers and lungs were damaged. The effects 

were more severe with longer exposure times. 

Animals that breathed very high levels of trans-1,2-

dichloroethene had damaged hearts. Animals given 

extremely high doses of cis- or trans-1,2-

dichloroethene by mouth died. Lower oral doses of 

cis-1,2-dichloroethene caused effects on the blood, 

such as decreased numbers of red blood cells, and 

effects on the liver. 

The long-term human health effects after exposure 

to low concentrations of 1,2-dichloroethene are not 

known. Results of a recent animal study suggest 

that an exposed fetus may not grow as quickly as 

one that is not exposed. No studies have been done 

to see whether cancer in people or animals is caused 

by exposure to 1,2-dichloroethene; exposure has not 

been shown to affect fertility in people or animals 

1.6 IS THERE A MEDICAL TEST TO 

DETERMINE WHETHER I HAVE BEEN 

EXPOSED TO 1,2-DICHLOROETHENE? 

Methods are available to measure concentrations of 

1,2-dichloroethene in blood, urine, and tissues. 

However, these methods are not routinely used to 

determine whether a person has been exposed to 

this compound, because the expected breakdown 

products resulting from exposure to 1,2-

dichloroethene may also result from exposure to 

other chemicals. 

1.7 WHAT RECOMMENDATIONS HAS THE 

FEDERAL GOVERNMENT MADE TO 

PROTECT HUMAN HEALTH? 

The federal government has developed regulatory 

standards and guidelines to protect people from 

possible health effects of 1,2-dichloroethene in 

water and air. The EPA has established water 

quality guidelines to protect both aquatic life and 

people who eat fish and shellfish. The EPA Office 

of Drinking Water has set a drinking water 

regulation that states that water delivered to any 

user of a public water system shall not exceed 0.07 

milligrams per liter (mg/L) for cis-1,2-

dichloroethene and 0.1 mg/L for trans-1,2-

dichloroethene. For very short-term exposures (1 

day) for children, EPA advises that concentrations 

in drinking water should not be more than 4 mg/L 

for cis-1,2-dichloroethene or 20 mg/L for trans-1,2-

dichloroethene. For 10-day exposures for children, 

EPA advises that drinking water concentrations 

should not be more than 3 mg/L for cis-1,2-

dichloroethene or 2 mg/L for trans-1,2-

dichloroethene. For industrial or waste disposal 

sites, any release of 1,000 pounds or more must be 

reported to the EPA. 

The National Institute for Occupational Safety and 

Health (NIOSH) and the American Conference of 

Governmental Industrial Hygienists (ACGIH) have 

established guidelines for occupational exposure to 

cis- or trans-1,2-dichloroethene. Average 

concentrations should not exceed 200 ppm in the air 

DEPARTMENT of HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES, Public Health Service
 

Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry 

www.atsdr.cdc.gov/ Telephone: 1-888-422-8737 Fax: 770-488-4178 E-Mail: atsdric@cdc.gov 
 

 

 

 

 

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PUBLIC HEALTH STATEMENT 

1,2-DICHLOROETHENE 

CAS#: 540-59-0 (mixture) 

156-59-2 (cis) 

156-60-5 (trans) 

Division of Toxicology August 1996 

1.8 WHERE CAN I GET MORE 

INFORMATION? 

If you have any more questions or concerns, 

please contact your community or state health or 

environmental quality department or: 

Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry 

Division of Toxicology 

1600 Clifton Road NE, Mailstop F-32 

Atlanta, GA 30333 

Information line and technical assistance: 

Phone: 888-422-8737 

FAX: (770)-488-4178 

ATSDR can also tell you the location of 

occupational and environmental health clinics. 

These clinics specialize in recognizing, evaluating, 

and treating illnesses resulting from exposure to 

hazardous substances. 

To order toxicological profiles, contact: 

National Technical Information Service 

5285 Port Royal Road 

Springfield, VA 22161 

Phone: 800-553-6847 or 703-605-6000 

Reference 

Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry 

(ATSDR). 1996. Toxicological profile for 1,2-

dichloroethene. Atlanta, GA: U.S. Department of 

Health and Human Services, Public Health Service. 

DEPARTMENT of HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES, Public Health Service
 

Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry 

www.atsdr.cdc.gov/ Telephone: 1-888-422-8737 Fax: 770-488-4178 E-Mail: atsdric@cdc.gov