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PUBLIC HEALTH STATEMENT 

TRICHLOROETHYLENE 

CAS#: 79-01-6 

Division of Toxicology September 1997 

This Public Health Statement is the summary 

chapter from the Toxicological Profile for 

Trichloroethylene. 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 

trichloroethylene and the effects of exposure. 

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has 

identified 1,428 hazardous waste sites as the most 

serious in the nation. These sites make up the 

National Priorities List (NPL) and are targeted for 

long-term federal clean-up. Trichloroethylene has 

been found in at least 861 NPL sites. However, it's 

unknown how many NPL sites have been evaluated 

for this substance. As EPA looks at more sites, the 

sites with trichloroethylene may increase. This 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 by breathing, eating, touching, or 

drinking. 

If you are exposed to trichloroethylene, many 

factors will 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 TRICHLOROETHYLENE? 

Trichloroethylene is also known as Triclene and 

Vitran and by other trade names in industry. It is a 

nonflammable, colorless liquid at room temperature 

with a somewhat sweet odor and a sweet, burning 

taste. Trichloroethylene is now mainly used as a 

solvent to remove grease from metal parts. It is also 

used as a solvent in other ways and is used to make 

other chemicals. Trichloroethylene can also be 

found in some household products, including 

typewriter correction fluid, paint removers, 

adhesives, and spot removers. Most people can 

begin to smell trichloroethylene in air when there 

are around 100 parts of trichloroethylene per 

million parts of air (ppm). 

1.2 WHAT HAPPENS TO 

TRICHLOROETHYLENE WHEN IT 

ENTERS THE ENVIRONMENT? 

By far, the biggest source of trichloroethylene in the 

environment is evaporation from factories that use it 

to remove grease from metals. It can also enter the 

air and water when it is disposed of at chemical 

waste sites. It evaporates easily but can stay in the 

soil and in groundwater. Once it is in the air, about 

half will be broken down within a week. When 

trichloroethylene is broken down in the air, 

phosgene, a lung irritant, can be formed. 

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 

TRICHLOROETHYLENE 

CAS#: 79-01-6 

Division of Toxicology September 1997 

Trichloroethylene can break down under high heat 

and alkaline conditions to form dichloroacetylene 

and phosgene. In the body, trichloroethylene may 

break down into dichloroacetic acid (DCA), 

trichloroacetic acid (TCA), chloral hydrate, and 2-

chloroacetaldehyde. These products have been 

shown to be toxic to animals and are probably toxic 

to humans. Once trichloroethylene is in water, much 

will evaporate into the air; again, about half will 

break down within a week. It will take days to 

weeks to break down in surface water. In 

groundwater the breakdown is much slower because 

of the much slower evaporation rate. Very little 

trichloroethylene breaks down in the soil, and it can 

pass through the soil into underground water. It is 

found in some foods. The trichloroethylene found in 

foods is believed to come from contamination of the 

water used in food processing, or from food 

processing equipment cleaned with 

trichloroethylene. It does not build up in fish, but 

low levels have been found in them. 

1.3 HOW MIGHT I BE EXPOSED TO 

TRICHLOROETHYLENE? 

Trichloroethylene is found in the outdoor air at 

levels far less than 1 ppm. When measured several 

years ago, some of the water supplies in the United 

States were found to have trichloroethylene. The 

most recent monitoring study found average levels 

in surface water ranging from 0.0001 to 0.001 ppm 

of water and an average level of 0.007 ppm in 

groundwater. About 400,000 workers are routinely 

exposed to trichloroethylene in the United States. 

The chemical can also get into the air or water in 

many ways, for example, at waste treatment 

facilities; by evaporation from paints, glues, and 

other products; or by release from factories where it 

is made. Another way you may be exposed is by 

breathing the air around factories that use the 

chemical. People living near hazardous waste sites 

may be exposed to it in the air or in their drinking 

water, or in the water used for bathing or cooking. 

Products that may contain trichloroethylene are 

some types of typewriter correction fluids, paints 

and paint removers, glues, spot removers, rug 

cleaning fluids, and metal cleaners. 

1.4 HOW CAN TRICHLOROETHYLENE 

ENTER AND LEAVE MY BODY? 

Trichloroethylene enters your body when you 

breathe air or drink water containing it. It can also 

enter your body if you get it on your skin. You 

could be exposed to contaminated water or air if 

you live near or work in a factory that uses 

trichloroethylene or if you live near a waste disposal 

site that contains trichloroethylene. If you breathe 

the chemical, about half the amount you breathe in 

will get into your bloodstream and organs. You will 

exhale the rest. If you drink trichloroethylene, most 

of it will be absorbed into your blood. If 

trichloroethylene comes in contact with your skin, 

some of it can enter your body, although not as 

easily as when you breathe or swallow it. 

Once in your blood, your liver changes much of the 

trichloroethylene into other chemicals. The majority 

of these breakdown products leave your body in the 

urine within a day. You will also quickly breathe 

out much of the trichloroethylene that is in your 

bloodstream. Some of the trichloroethylene or its 

breakdown products can be stored in body fat for a 

brief period, and thus may build up in your body if 

exposure continues. 

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 

TRICHLOROETHYLENE 

CAS#: 79-01-6 

Division of Toxicology September 1997 

1.5 HOW CAN TRICHLOROETHYLENE 

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. 

Trichloroethylene was once used as an anesthetic 

for surgery. People who are exposed to large 

amounts of trichloroethylene can become dizzy or 

sleepy and may become unconscious at very high 

levels. Death may occur from inhalation of large 

amounts. Many people have jobs where they work 

with trichloroethylene and can breathe it or get it on 

their skin. Some people who get concentrated 

solutions of trichloroethylene on their skin develop 

rashes. People who breathe moderate levels of 

trichloroethylene may have headaches or dizziness. 

It is possible that some people who breathe high 

levels of trichloroethylene may develop damage to 

some of the nerves in the face. People have reported 

health effects when exposed to the level of 

trichloroethylene at which its odor is noticeable. 

Effects have also occurred at much higher levels. 

The effects reported at high levels include liver and 

kidney damage and changes in heart beat. The 

levels at which these effects occur in humans are 

not well characterized. Animals that were exposed 

to moderate levels of trichloroethylene had enlarged 

livers, and high-level exposure caused liver and 

kidney damage. 

It is uncertain whether people who breathe air or 

drink water containing trichloroethylene are at 

higher risk of cancer, or of having reproductive 

effects. More and more studies suggest that more 

birth defects may occur when mothers drink water 

containing trichloroethylene. People who used 

water for several years from two wells that had high 

levels of trichloroethylene may have had a higher 

incidence of childhood leukemia than other people, 

but these findings are not conclusive. In another 

study of trichloroethylene exposure from well 

water, increased numbers of children were reported 

to be born with heart defects, which is supported by 

data from some animal studies showing 

developmental effects of trichloroethylene on the 

heart. However, other chemicals were also in the 

water from this well and may have contributed to 

these effects.One study reported a higher number of 

children with a rare defect in the respiratory system 

and eye defects. Another study reported that the risk 

for neural tube defects and oral cleft palates were 

higher among mothers with trichloroethylene in 

their water during pregnancy. Children listed in the 

National Exposure Subregistry of persons exposed 

to trichloroethylene were reported to have higher 

rates of hearing and speech impairment. There are 

many questions regarding these reports. There were 

small numbers of children with defects and 

trichloroethylene levels at which the effects 

occurred were not defined well. Thus, it is not 

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 

TRICHLOROETHYLENE 

CAS#: 79-01-6 

Division of Toxicology September 1997 

possible to make firm conclusions about the exact 

effects of trichloroethylene from these studies, and 

more studies need to be done. 

We do not have any clear evidence that 

trichloroethylene alone in drinking water can cause 

leukemia or any other type of cancer in humans. As 

part of the National Exposure Subregistry, the 

Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry 

(ATSDR) compiled data on 4,280 residents of three 

states (Michigan, Illinois, and Indiana) who had 

environmental exposure to trichloroethylene. It 

found no definitive evidence for an excess of 

cancers from trichloroethylene exposure. An 

increase of respiratory cancer was noted in older 

men, but this effect was thought to result from 

smoking rather than trichloroethylene exposure. A 

study in New Jersey found an association between 

leukemia in women and exposure to 

trichloroethylene in the drinking water. A study in 

Massachusetts found that exposure was associated 

with leukemia in children.In studies with people, 

there are many factors that are not fully understood. 

More studies need to be done to establish the 

relationship between exposure to trichloroethylene 

and cancer. 

In studies using high doses of trichloroethylene in 

rats and mice, tumors in the lungs, liver, and testes 

were found, providing some evidence that high 

doses of trichloroethylene can cause cancer in 

experimental animals. Based on the limited data in 

humans regarding trichloroethylene exposure and 

cancer, and evidence that high doses of 

trichloroethylene can cause cancer in animals, the 

International Agency for Research on Cancer 

(IARC) has determined that trichloroethylene is 

probably carcinogenic to humans. Trichloroethylene 

has been nominated for listing in the National 

Toxicology Program (NTP) 9th Report on 

Carcinogens. Evaluation of this substance by the 

NTP review committee is ongoing. 

1.6 IS THERE A MEDICAL TEST TO 

DETERMINE WHETHER I HAVE BEEN 

EXPOSED TO TRICHLOROETHYLENE? 

There are some tests that can show if you have been 

recently exposed to trichloroethylene since this 

chemical can be measured in your breath. Also, a 

doctor can have trichloroethylene or a number of 

breakdown products of trichloroethylene measured 

in your urine or blood. None of these tests, 

however, is routinely available at your doctor's 

office. If the measurements are done soon after the 

exposure, the breath levels can indicate whether you 

have been exposed to a large amount of 

trichloroethylene or only a small amount. Urine and 

blood tests can also show if you have been exposed 

to large amounts of this chemical. Because one of 

the breakdown products leaves your body very 

slowly, it can be measured in the urine for up to 

about 1 week after trichloroethylene exposure. 

However, exposure to other similar chemicals can 

produce the same breakdown products in your urine 

and blood. Therefore, these methods cannot 

determine for sure whether you have been exposed 

to trichloroethylene. 

1.7 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 

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 

TRICHLOROETHYLENE 

CAS#: 79-01-6 

Division of Toxicology September 1997 

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 

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 trichloroethylene include the following. 

EPA has set a drinking water standard of 5 parts of 

trichloroethylene per one billion parts of water 

(ppb). One ppb is 1,000 times less than 1 ppm. This 

standard became effective on January 9, 1989, and 

applies to community water systems and those that 

serve the same 25 or more persons for at least 6 

months. EPA requires industries to report spills of 

1,000 pounds or more of trichloroethylene. It has 

been proposed that this level be reduced to 100 

pounds. 

Trichloroethylene levels in the workplace are 

regulated by the Occupational Safety and Health 

Administration (OSHA). The occupational exposure 

limit for an 8-hour workday, 40-hour workweek, is 

an average concentration of 100 ppm in air. The 15-

minute average exposure in air that should not be 

exceeded at any time during a workday is 300 ppm. 

The OSHA standards are based on preventing 

central nervous system effects after 

trichloroethylene exposure. 

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. 

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 

TRICHLOROETHYLENE 

CAS#: 79-01-6 

Division of Toxicology September 1997 

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). 1997. Toxicological profile for 

trichloroethylene. 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