ATSDR TOXZINE

TETRACHLOROETHYLENE 

CONTENTS

1 . . . . . . . . . . . Tetrachloroethylene Overview

2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Tetrachloroethylene 

and the Environment

3 . . . . . . . . . Exposure to Tetrachloroethylene

4 . . . . . . . . Tetrachloroethylene and the Body

5 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Health Effects of Exposure

7 . . . . . . . . Tetrachloroethylene and Children

8 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Reducing Risk of Exposure

9 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Exposure Testing

10 . . . . . . . . Governmental Recommendations

11 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Additional Information

TETRACHLOROETHYLENE 

OVERVIEW 

Tetrachloroethylene is a nonflammable colorless liquid. 

Other names for tetrachloroethylene include perchloroethylene, PCE, PERC, 

tetrachloroethene, and perchlor. Most people can smell tetrachloroethylene when it 

is present in the air at a level of 1 part in 1 million parts of air (ppm) or more.

Tetrachloroethylene is used as a dry cleaning agent and metal degreasing solvent. It 

is also used as a starting material (building block) for making other chemicals and is 

used in some consumer products.◆

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TETRACHLOROETHYLENE 

AND THE ENVIRONMENT 

Tetrachloroethylene can be released into the air, water, and 

soil at places where it is produced or used.

Most releases of tetrachloroethylene during its use are directly to the atmosphere.

Much of the tetrachloroethylene released into the air comes from the dry cleaning 

industry. Some Tetrachloroethylene may be released from dry-cleaned or consumer 

products. Tetrachloroethylene breaks down very slowly in the air and so it 

can be transported long distances in the air. The average concentration of 

tetrachloroethylene in the air of the United States is typically less than 

1 microgram per cubic meter of air, or 1 part per billion.

A variety of industries that use tetrachloroethylene (such as metal 

degreasing and dry cleaning) produce liquid wastes that contain 

the compound, which may then end up at waste treatment facilities.

Tetrachloroethylene evaporates quickly from water into air, although some 

tetrachloroethylene may remain in the water. It is generally slow to break down in 

water. Tetrachloroethylene can migrate through vapors from the groundwater (or soil) 

up into the air of homes and buildings through vapor intrusion.

Contamination of soil can occur when tetrachloroethylene at a waste disposal site 

seeps out of the waste and into the soil. Tetrachloroethylene may evaporate quickly 

from shallow soils or may filter through the soil and into the groundwater below. It is 

generally slow to break down in soil because it is lipid soluble, which makes it absorb 

or bind to soil.◆

Tetrachloroethylene 

breaks down very 

slowly in the air.

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3

EXPOSURE TO 

TETRACHLOROETHYLENE

Tetrachloroethylene can enter your body from the air, water, 

or soil.

Tetrachloroethylene in air can easily enter your body when you breathe. Most of the

tetrachloroethylene that you breathe in will go into your bloodstream and other 

organs. A small amount of tetrachloroethylene in the air can also move through your 

skin and into your bloodstream.

When tetrachloroethylene is found in water, it can enter your body when you 

drink or touch the water or when you breathe in steam from the water. Most of the

tetrachloroethylene that you breathe in or drink will move from your stomach or lungs 

into your bloodstream. When you touch water containing tetrachloroethylene, some 

of it can get through your skin into your body, but not as much as when you breathe or 

swallow it.

You can be exposed to tetrachloroethylene in soil when small amounts of soil are 

transferred to your mouth accidentally, when your skin touches the soil, or when you 

breathe air or dust coming from the soil. ◆
4

TETRACHLOROETHYLENE 

AND THE BODY 

Most tetrachloroethylene that you are exposed to will enter 

into your blood. 

A small amount of tetrachloroethylene in your blood may be broken down to other 

chemicals that will leave your body in urine. If you are exposed over and over again 

to tetrachloroethylene, some of it may be stored in body fat and the amount can 

build up over time. When the exposure stops, your body will slowly get rid of the 

tetrachloroethylene stored in fat.

If you have tetrachloroethylene in your blood, you will breathe most of it out very 

quickly. A small amount of tetrachloroethylene in your blood may get changed into 

other chemicals that leave your body in urine.◆

If you have 

tetrachloroethylene 

in your blood, 

you will breathe 

most of it out 

very quickly.
5

HEALTH EFFECTS 

OF EXPOSURE 

Tetrachloroethylene exposure may have an adverse effect on 

the nervous system, liver, kidneys, and reproductive system, 

and may be harmful to unborn children.

If you are exposed to tetrachloroethylene, continuously, over a long period of time, 

you may also be at a higher risk of developing certain types of cancer.

If you breathe in air containing a large amount of tetrachloroethylene, you may 

become dizzy or sleepy, develop headaches, and become uncoordinated; or you may 

become unconscious. Some people have died after being exposed in tanks or other 

small spaces, or after intentionally breathing in a large amount of tetrachloroethylene.

People who are exposed for longer periods of time to lower levels of 

tetrachloroethylene in air may have changes in mood, memory, attention, reaction 

time, or vision. Animals exposed to tetrachloroethylene have shown liver and kidney 
6

effects, and changes in brain chemistry, but we currently do not know what these 

findings mean for humans.

Tetrachloroethylene may have effects on pregnancy and unborn children. Studies 

in people are not clear on this subject, but studies in animals show problems with 

pregnancy (such as miscarriage, birth defects, and slowed growth of the baby) after 

oral and inhalation exposure to tetrachloroethylene.

Studies in humans suggest that exposure to tetrachloroethylene for prolonged 

periods may lead to a higher risk of bladder cancer, multiple myeloma, or 

non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, but the evidence is not very strong. In animals, 

tetrachloroethylene has been shown to cause cancers of the liver, kidney, and blood 

system. It is not clear whether these effects might also occur in humans, because 

humans and animals differ in how their bodies handle tetrachloroethylene. ◆

Cancer Determinations 

from Regulatory Agencies 

for Tetrachloroethylene

National Toxicology Program Reasonably anticipated to be a 

human carcinogen

International Agency for 

Research on Cancer (IARC)

“Probably carcinogenic to 

humans” based on limited 

evidence in humans and 

sufficient evidence in animals

Environmental Protection 

Agency (EPA)

“Likely to be carcinogenic to 

humans by all routes of exposure” 

based on suggestive evidence 

in human studies and clear 

evidence of mononuclear cell 

leukemia in rats and liver tumors 

in mice exposed for 2 years by 

inhalation or stomach tube
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TETRACHLOROETHYLENE 

AND CHILDREN 

Children may be exposed to tetrachloroethylene in many of 

the same ways as adults. 

It is not known whether children are more susceptible than adults to the effects of 

tetrachloroethylene. There are very few studies available to answer this question, and 

many more studies are needed.

We do not know for sure whether tetrachloroethylene can cause birth defects in 

humans. A few human studies have suggested that exposure to tetrachloroethylene 

increased the numbers of babies with heart, oral cleft, or neural tube defects, but 

these studies were not large enough to clearly answer the question. Studies in 

animals exposed by inhalation or stomach tube have not. ◆
8

REDUCING RISK 

OF EXPOSURE 

If your doctor finds that you have been exposed to significant 

amounts of tetrachloroethylene, ask whether your children 

might also be exposed. Your doctor might need to ask your 

state health department to investigate.

Tetrachloroethylene has the potential to contaminate foods, although the levels 

found in food are generally low. Contact local drinking water authorities and follow 

their advice if you have any concerns about the presence of tetrachloroethylene in 

your tap water. Tetrachloroethylene can be present in the indoor air of homes and 

apartments above dry cleaning facilities. To minimize risks associated with breathing 

in contaminated vapors, ensure that the area is well ventilated.

Tetrachloroethylene can also be present in groundwater and soil underneath a 

building or a home, resulting in above-ground vapors through vapor intrusion 

(movement of vapors from groundwater or soil into air). If you think that you may 

have groundwater contaminated with tetrachloroethylene, contact your local 

state health department. In addition, a depressurization system, an increase in the 

air exchange rate between indoor and outdoor air, or vapor barriers can reduce 

exposure to tetrachloroethylene through vapor intrusion. Prevent children from 

playing in dirt or eating dirt if you live near a waste site that is contaminated with 

tetrachloroethylene.

Tetrachloroethylene is widely used as a scouring solvent that removes oils from 

fabrics, as a carrier solvent, as a fabric finish or water repellant, and as a metal 

degreaser/cleaner. Follow instructions on product labels to minimize exposure to 

tetrachloroethylene. Storing these items in a shed or an outside location may reduce 

exposure and decrease the impact on indoor air. ◆
9

EXPOSURE 

TESTING 

There are reliable ways to detect whether you have been 

exposed to tetrachloroethylene.

Tetrachloroethylene and its breakdown products (metabolites) can be measured in 

blood and urine. However, the detection of tetrachloroethylene or its metabolites 

cannot predict the kind of health effects that might develop from that exposure.

Because tetrachloroethylene and its metabolites leave the body fairly rapidly, the 

tests need to be conducted within days after exposure.◆
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GOVERNMENTAL 

RECOMMENDATIONS 

Recommendations and regulations are also updated 

periodically as more information becomes available. For the 

most current information, check with the federal agency or 

organization that issued the regulation or recommendation. 

Federal Organization Regulation or Recommendation

U.S. Environmental 

Protection Agency 

(U.S. EPA)

EPA set a maximum contaminant level 

(MCL) of 0.005 milligrams per liter (mg/L; 

5 ppb) as a national primary drinking 

standard for tetrachloroethylene and noted 

liver problems and increased risk of cancer 

as potential health effects from long-term 

exposure above the MCL.

Occupational 

Safety and Health 

Administration 

(OSHA)

OSHA has set an 8-hour time-weighted 

average permissible exposure limit of 100 

ppm, an acceptable ceiling exposure limit of 

200 ppm, and a maximum peak of 300 ppm 

(not to be exceeded for more than 5 minutes 

of any 3-hour period).

National Institute for 

Occupational Safety 

and Health (NIOSH)

NIOSH recommends that workplace 

exposure to tetrachloroethylene be 

minimized due to concerns about its 

carcinogenicity.
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ADDITIONAL 

INFORMATION 

If you have any more questions or concerns, please contact 

your community or state health or environmental quality 

department or contact ATSDR at the address and phone 

number below. 

Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry

Division of Toxicology and Human Health Sciences

1600 Clifton Road NE, Mailstop F-57

Atlanta, GA 30329-4027

Toll-free information and technical assistance:

1-800-CDCINFO (1-800-232-4636)
ATSDR TOXZINE A publication of CDC/ATSDR

CS250230-A