PUBLIC HEALTH STATEMENT 

 CHLOROETHANE CAS#: 75-00-3 

Division of Toxicology December 1998 

__________________________________________________________________________________________

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 

This Public Health Statement is the summary 

chapter from the Toxicological Profile for 

Chloroethane. 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 

chloroethane 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. Chloroethane 

has been found in at least 282 of the 1,467 current 

or former NPL sites. However, the total number of 

NPL sites evaluated for this substance is not known. 

As more sites are evaluated, the sites at which 

chloroethane is found 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 chloroethane, 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 CHLOROETHANE? 

 

Chloroethane, also called ethyl chloride, is a 

colorless gas at room temperature and pressure, 

with a characteristically sharp odor. People can 

smell chloroethane in the air at levels above 4 parts 

chloroethane in a million parts of air by volume 

(ppm). It can be smelled in water at levels above 

0.02 parts chloroethane in a million parts of water 

(ppm). In pressurized containers, chloroethane 

exists as a liquid. However, the liquid evaporates 

quickly when exposed to air. It catches fire easily 

and is very dangerous when exposed to heat or 

flame. Chloroethane does not occur naturally in the 

environment. It is present in the environment as a 

result of human activity. 

In the past, the largest single use for chloroethane 

was for the production of tetraethyl lead, which is a 

gasoline additive. However, production of 

chloroethane has decreased dramatically as a result 

of stricter government regulations controlling lead 

in gasoline. Other applications include use in the 

production of ethyl cellulose, dyes, medicinal drugs, 

and other commercial chemicals, and use as a 

solvent and refrigerant. It is used to numb skin 

prior to medical procedures such as ear piercing and 

skin biopsies, and it is used in the treatment of 

sports injuries. 

 
 PUBLIC HEALTH STATEMENT 

 CHLOROETHANE CAS#: 75-00-3 

Division of Toxicology December 1998 

__________________________________________________________________________________________

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 

1.2 WHAT HAPPENS TO CHLOROETHANE 

WHEN IT ENTERS THE 

ENVIRONMENT? 

Most of the chloroethane released to the 

environment ends up as a gas in the atmosphere, 

while much smaller amounts enter groundwater as a 

result of passage through soil. Once in the 

atmosphere, chloroethane breaks down fairly 

rapidly by reaction with substances in the air. It 

takes about 40 days for half of any given amount of 

chloroethane that is released to the atmosphere to 

disappear. In groundwater, chloroethane changes 

slowly to ethanol and a chloride salt as a result of 

reaction with water. In addition, some types of 

bacteria present in the water may break down 

chloroethane to smaller compounds. However, not 

enough is known about chloroethane to be sure if 

this occurs or how long it may remain in 

groundwater. 

1.3 HOW MIGHT I BE EXPOSED TO 

CHLOROETHANE? 

Humans can be exposed to chloroethane from 

environmental, occupational, and consumer sources. 

During the mid-to-late 1970s and the early 1980s, 

chloroethane was detected in samples of outdoor 

air. Air samples collected in urban and suburban 

areas contained chloroethane at an average level of 

41–140 parts of chloroethane in a trillion parts of air 

(ppt; 1 ppt is 1,000,000 times less than 1 ppm). 

Rural air samples contained less than 5 ppt. Current 

levels of chloroethane in the air are expected to be 

even lower than levels found in the past because of 

the sharp decrease in chloroethane production in the 

United States and the decrease in chloroethane 

release. Occurrences of chloroethane in air can be 

attributed to releases from factories that 

manufacture or use chloroethane; evaporation from 

some landfills, solvents, refrigerants, and 

anesthetics; and releases in fumes from the burning 

of plastics and other materials found in trash. Based 

on the limited amount of information available on 

the occurrence of chloroethane in drinking water, it 

can be concluded that extremely low levels of 

chloroethane may occur in some drinking water 

supplies as a result of formation during chlorination, 

contamination of rivers and lakes used as drinking 

water supplies, or seepage into groundwater 

resulting from storage of chemical wastes or 

disposal at waste sites. However, there is not 

enough information available to indicate what levels 

of chloroethane occur in drinking water under these 

circumstances. No data were located that indicate 

that chloroethane is found in food. 

Exposure may also result from contact with various 

consumer products including some solvents, paints, 

and refrigerants. People may be exposed to 

chloroethane through skin contact as the result of its 

use as an agent to numb skin before ear piercing, 

before skin biopsy, as a treatment for sports injury, 

and for other medical reasons. Occupational 

exposure may result from inhalation or skin contact. 

Workers who may be exposed to chloroethane 

include physicians, nurses, and other medical 

workers, automobile mechanics, office machine 

mechanics, household appliance and accessory 

installers, assemblers, professional painters, heavyequipment mechanics, diesel mechanics, plumbers, 

and pipe fitters. According to a National Institute 

for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) 

survey conducted between 1981 and 1983, an 

estimated 49,212 workers in the United States were 

exposed to chloroethane in the workplace. More 

recent data are not available to determine how many 
 PUBLIC HEALTH STATEMENT 

 CHLOROETHANE CAS#: 75-00-3 

Division of Toxicology December 1998 

__________________________________________________________________________________________

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 

workers might be exposed to chloroethane per year 

in the United States. 

1.4 HOW CAN CHLOROETHANE ENTER 

AND LEAVE MY BODY? 

Chloroethane can enter the body when a person 

breathes air containing chloroethane vapor. 

Chloroethane may also enter the body through the 

skin, although most of it quickly evaporates from 

the skin's surface. When a person drinks water 

containing chloroethane, it enters the body through 

the digestive tract. After chloroethane enters the 

body, it may leave the body through the lungs. 

Some chloroethane may also be changed to acetate, 

which is normally found in the body. Other 

chemicals formed from chloroethane leave the body 

in the urine. 

People who happen to be near hazardous waste sites 

containing chloroethane are most likely to be 

exposed to the compound by breathing potentially 

contaminated air. People may also be exposed to 

chloroethane by drinking potentially contaminated 

water. 

1.5 HOW CAN CHLOROETHANE AFFECT 

MY HEALTH? 

To protect the public from the harmful effects of 

toxic chemicals and to find ways to treat people 

who have been harmed, scientists use many tests. 

One way to see if a chemical will hurt people is to 

learn how the chemical is absorbed, used, and 

released by the body; for some chemicals, animal 

testing may be necessary. Animal testing may also 

be used to identify health effects such as cancer or 

birth defects. Without laboratory animals, scientists 

would lose a basic method to get information 

needed to make wise decisions to protect public 

health. Scientists have the responsibility to treat 

research animals with care and compassion. Laws 

today protect the welfare of research animals, and 

scientists must comply with strict animal care 

guidelines. 

Brief exposure to high levels of chloroethane vapor 

can produce temporary feelings of drunkenness, and 

at still higher levels, lack of muscle coordination 

and unconsciousness. Adults have felt dizzy and 

have suffered decreased reaction times as a result of 

inhaling chloroethane. They have also experienced 

stomach cramps, nausea, vomiting, and eye 

irritation after breathing high concentrations of 

chloroethane for a short time. 

Workers who breathed chloroethane vapors for 1.5 

to 3 years (levels of chloroethane unknown) had 

significantly decreased defensive responses against 

illness. Inhalant abusers who intentionally breathe 

chloroethane vapors at much higher concentrations 

than those found in any work environment or near 

any hazardous waste site have experienced these 

neurological effects. Long term abuse of high 

chloroethane concentrations causes the most 

adverse effects of chloroethane exposure, namely, 

those to the nervous system. In the worst recorded 

cases of chloroethane abuse by sniffing, the abusers 

have had severe symptoms including jerking eye 

movements, an inability to control muscles in 

voluntary movements, difficulty in speaking clearly, 

an inability to perform finger tapping exercises, 

sluggish lower limb reflexes, seizures, difficulties in 

walking, disorientation, short-term memory loss, 

and hallucinations affecting their sight and hearing. 

In one case, damage to motor and sensory nerves 

occurred. 
 PUBLIC HEALTH STATEMENT 

 CHLOROETHANE CAS#: 75-00-3 

Division of Toxicology December 1998 

__________________________________________________________________________________________

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 

Human patients have died after breathing 

chloroethane concentrations high enough to induce 

anesthesia. Dogs have suffered irregular heart 

rhythms, followed by death, when given anesthetic 

doses of chloroethane. Due to the risk of accidental 

death, chloroethane is no longer medically used as a 

general anesthetic during major surgery. 

Chloroethane can, however, be applied to the skin 

in the form of chloroethane spray as a numbing 

agent prior to minor surgery. If this spray is applied 

for too long, frostbite can result. Some adults have 

had allergic reactions to the chloroethane spray 

while others experienced mild pain after being 

sprayed for 10 seconds. 

Studies have shown that chloroethane can enhance 

the effects of alcohol in rats. It is unknown if 

similar interactions between chloroethane and 

alcohol occur in humans. 

It is not known whether chloroethane produces 

cancer in humans. However, long-term exposure to 

high levels of chloroethane vapor has been shown to 

produce cancer in mice. There have been no animal 

or human studies involving the ability of 

chloroethane to cause cancer when either eaten or 

applied to the skin. The International Agency for 

Research on Cancer (IARC) has reviewed the 

information available concerning the ability of 

chloroethane to cause cancer. They concluded that 

chloroethane is not classifiable as to its 

carcinogenicity in humans. 

1.6 HOW CAN CHLOROETHANE AFFECT 

CHILDREN? 

This section discusses potential health effects from 

exposures during the period from conception to 

maturity at 18 years of age in humans. Potential 

effects on children resulting from exposures of the 

parents are also considered. 

There are no known unique exposure pathways by 

which children may be exposed to chloroethane. 

In children, there have been few recorded reports of 

exposures to chloroethane or adverse health effects 

resulting from this exposure. Brief inhalation 

exposure of children to very high concentrations of 

chloroethane has resulted in stimulation of certain 

nerves followed by a decrease in heart rate. One 

teenager died from lung paralysis during general 

anesthesia with chloroethane. In addition to these 

health effects seen specifically in children, the 

observed adverse effects of chloroethane exposure 

in adults are also expected in children. It is 

unknown whether children differ from adults in 

their susceptibility to health effects from 

chloroethane exposure. 

We do not know whether chloroethane exposure 

can affect development in humans. There is not 

enough information to know whether chloroethane 

affects development in animals. Only one 

developmental study has been done in animals. 

This study with mice showed that exposure to high 

levels of chloroethane during pregnancy delayed 

bone development in the offspring. 

We do not know whether chloroethane or its 

breakdown products within the body can reach and 

cross the mother's placenta into her developing 

baby. One study has shown that chloroethane can 

be found in mother's milk, but we do not know if 

the mothers were exposed to the compound by 

breathing it, eating it, or having it sprayed on their 

skin. 

 
 PUBLIC HEALTH STATEMENT 

 CHLOROETHANE CAS#: 75-00-3 

Division of Toxicology December 1998 

__________________________________________________________________________________________

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 

1.7 HOW CAN FAMILIES REDUCE THE 

RISK OF EXPOSURE TO 

CHLOROETHANE? 

If your doctor finds that you have been exposed to 

significant amounts of chloroethane, ask if children 

may also be exposed. When necessary your doctor 

may need to ask your state Department of Public 

Health to investigate. 

Little information exists concerning the 

concentrations of chloroethane that might be present 

in drinking water. However, past data indicate that 

chloroethane is not a frequent contaminant in 

drinking water, and therefore the risk to families 

from drinking water containing chloroethane is low. 

Chloroethane is found in common household 

products such as paints, solvents, air fresheners, and 

deodorant sprays. Inhaling or ingesting toxic 

amounts of chloroethane from these products is 

possible. Therefore, household products such as 

these should be stored out of reach of young 

children to prevent accidental poisonings. Always 

store household chemicals in their original labeled 

containers; never store household chemicals in 

containers children would find attractive to eat or 

drink from, such as old soda bottles. Keep your 

Poison Control Center's number by the phone. 

Sometimes older children sniff household chemicals 

in an attempt to get high. Chloroethane is sold in 

drug paraphernalia shops as Ethyl Gaz, Ethyl Four 

Star, Black Jac, and Maximum Impact. Your 

children may be exposed to chloroethane by 

inhaling products containing it and are putting their 

health at serious risk if they do so. Talk with your 

children about the dangers of sniffing chemicals. 

When household products that contain chloroethane 

are used properly and are not abused, the 

concentrations of chloroethane within them are not 

high enough to pose a risk of significant exposure to 

children. 

The tendency of chloroethane to evaporate upon 

contact with air makes it highly unlikely that the 

compound could be taken home on the parents' 

work clothes. 

 

1.8 IS THERE A MEDICAL TEST TO 

DETERMINE WHETHER I HAVE BEEN 

EXPOSED TO CHLOROETHANE? 

Although there are complex analytical tests that 

chemists use to measure chloroethane in the blood, 

milk, or urine, there are no commonly used medical 

tests available to determine whether or not a person 

has been exposed to chloroethane. A breath test to 

determine exposure may be possible but is not 

commonly used. 

1.9 WHAT RECOMMENDATIONS HAS THE 

FEDERAL GOVERNMENT MADE TO 

PROTECT HUMAN HEALTH? 

 

The federal government develops regulations and 

recommendations to protect public health. 

Regulations can be enforced by law. Federal 

agencies that develop regulations for toxic 

substances include the Environmental Protection 

Agency (EPA), the Occupational Safety and Health 

Administration (OSHA), and the Food and Drug 

Administration (FDA). Recommendations provide 

valuable guidelines to protect public health but 

cannot be enforced by law. Federal organizations 

that develop recommendations for toxic substances 

include the Agency for Toxic Substances and 
 PUBLIC HEALTH STATEMENT 

 CHLOROETHANE CAS#: 75-00-3 

Division of Toxicology December 1998 

__________________________________________________________________________________________

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 

Disease Registry (ATSDR) and the National 

Institute for Occupational Safety and Health 

(NIOSH). 

Regulations and recommendations can be expressed 

in not-to-exceed levels in air, water, soil, or food 

that are usually based on levels that affect animals, 

then they are adjusted to help protect people. 

Sometimes these not-to-exceed levels differ among 

federal organizations because of different exposure 

times (an 8-hour workday or a 24-hour day), the use 

of different animal studies, or other factors. 

Recommendations and regulations are also 

periodically updated as more information becomes 

available. For the most current information, check 

with the federal agency or organization that 

provides it. Some regulations and 

recommendations for chloroethane include the 

following: 

Chloroethane levels in the workplace are regulated 

by OSHA. The occupational exposure limit for an 

8-hour work day of a 40-hour work week is 1,000 

ppm. The EPA requires industry to report 

discharges or spills of 100 pounds or more. 

1.10 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). 1998. Toxicological profile for 

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

Health and Human Services, Public Health Service.