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PUBLIC HEALTH STATEMENT 

1,2,3-TRICHLOROPROPANE 

 CAS#: 96-18-4 

Division of Toxicology September 1992 

This Public Health Statement is the summary 

chapter from the Toxicological Profile for 1,2,3-

Trichloropropane. 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 Statement was prepared to give you 

information about 1,2,3-trichloropropane and to 

emphasize the human health effects that may result 

from exposure to it. 

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has 

identified 1,300 National Priorities List (NPL) sites. 

1,2,3-Trichloropropane has been found at 8 of these 

sites. However, we do not know how many of the 

1,300 NPL sites have been evaluated for 1,2,3-

trichloropropane. As EPA evaluates more sites, the 

number of sites at which 1,2,3-trichloropropane is 

found may change. The information is important for 

you because 1,2,3-trichloropropane may cause 

harmful health effects and because these sites are 

potential or actual sources of human exposure to 

1,2,3-trichloropropane. 

When a chemical 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 as a 

chemical emission. This emission, which is also 

called a release, does not always lead to exposure. 

You can be exposed to a chemical only when you 

come into contact with the chemical. You may be 

exposed to it in the environment by breathing, 

eating, or drinking substances containing the 

chemical, or from skin contact with it. 

If you are exposed to a hazardous substance such as 

1,2,3-trichloropropane, several factors will 

determine whether harmful health effects will occur 

and what the type and severity of those health 

effects will be. These factors include the dose (how 

much), the duration (how long), the route or 

pathway by which you are exposed (breathing, 

eating, drinking, or skin contact), the other 

chemicals to which you are exposed, and your 

individual characteristics such as age, sex, 

nutritional status, family traits, life style, and state 

of health. 

1.1 WHAT IS 1,2,3-TRICHLOROPROPANE? 

1,2,3-Trichloropropane is a colorless, heavy liquid 

with a sweet but strong odor. It evaporates almost as 

fast as water does at normal temperatures. Small 

amounts of 1,2,3-trichloropropane will dissolve in 

water. 1,2,3-Trichloropropane can dissolve several 

substances, such as oils and waxes, the way water 

dissolves salt. For this reason, it has been and may 

continue to be used as an industrial solvent, paint 

remover, and cleaner. We do not know exactly how 

much of it is made or used now, but it may be a 

large amount. Most of the 1,2,3-trichloropropane is 

used to make other substances. 

In sunlight, 1,2,3-trichloropropane in the air will 

break down. Most of the 1,2,3-trichloropropane that 

is released to the air will disappear in a month. In 

water, half of it will evaporate into the air within 

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 

1,2,3-TRICHLOROPROPANE 

 CAS#: 96-18-4 

Division of Toxicology September 1992 

hours or several days. Very little of it will stick to 

the soil at the bottom of rivers, lakes, or ponds, and 

very little of it will be expected to concentrate in 

fish or other seafoods. 1,2,3-Trichloropropane will 

not stick to soil. If it is spilled on to most soils, 

some will evaporate and some will travel through 

the soil into the groundwater, where it may stay for 

a long time. It may slowly change to a simpler form 

in water and soil by natural biological and chemical 

processes. 

1.2 HOW MIGHT I BE EXPOSED TO 1,2,3-

TRICHLOROPROPANE? 

If you live near a hazardous waste disposal site in 

which 1,2,3-trichloropropane is not stored properly, 

you could be exposed to 1,2,3-trichloropropane 

from breathing air or drinking water. Because 1,2,3-

trichloropropane easily changes into a vapor, you 

are more likely to be exposed from breathing air 

than from drinking water. A child playing in this 

waste disposal site could be exposed by drinking 

liquids containing 1,2,3-trichloropropane, by eating 

soil coated with 1,2,3-trichloropropane, or getting 

this soil or liquid on his or her skin. 

You could be exposed to 1,2,3-trichloropropane in 

other ways that have nothing to do with hazardous 

waste sites. For example, you may be exposed to 

higher levels of 1,2,3-trichloropropane if you are 

using paint- and varnish-removers that contain it; 

however, some of these products may no longer 

contain this chemical. If you breathe air near an 

accidental spill of 1,2,3-trichloropropane, you can 

be exposed to higher levels of the chemical. 

Exposure in the workplace may result from spills or 

other accidents or from normal operations in the 

workplace. 

1,2,3-Trichloropropane is not common in the 

environment (air, water, and soil), but it has been 

found in a few rivers, bays, drinking water, 

groundwater, and hazardous waste sites at low 

levels. This is because 1,2,3-trichloropropane can 

enter the environment while it is being made, where 

it is used to make or to dissolve other substances, or 

where it is released in the waste that is made during 

these processes. Although 1,2,3-trichloropropane is 

usually not found in the environment, disposal at 

hazardous waste sites in the past, or release during 

spills and accidents have led to higher levels in 

nearby water, soil, and groundwater. Although we 

do not know exactly how much 1,2,3-

trichloropropane the general public or workers are 

exposed to, the information that we have shows that 

the levels are probably low and exposure probably 

does not occur often. 

1.3 HOW CAN 1,2,3-TRICHLOROPROPANE 

ENTER AND LEAVE MY BODY? 

If you were to drink water containing 1,2,3-

trichloropropane, most of the chemical would pass 

into your body from your stomach and intestines 

within the same day. 1,2,3-Trichloropropane would 

also pass into your body from your lungs if you 

were to breathe in air containing it or from your 

skin if you were to touch it. However, we do not 

know how quickly or completely 1,2,3-

trichloropropane passes into your body from your 

lungs or skin. 1,2,3-Trichloropropane that enters 

your body leaves your body almost completely 

within a few days in your breath, urine, and feces. 

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 

1,2,3-TRICHLOROPROPANE 

 CAS#: 96-18-4 

Division of Toxicology September 1992 

1.4 HOW CAN 1,2,3-TRICHLOROPROPANE 

AFFECT MY HEALTH? 

Some people who breathed air containing high 

levels of 1,2,3-trichloropropane for several minutes 

had eye and throat irritation. These levels of 1,2,3-

trichloropropane are likely to be much higher than 

levels usually found in outdoor air, including air at 

hazardous waste sites. We do not know what effects 

might occur in people who breathe 1,2,3-

trichloropropane for days, weeks, or longer 

durations. We also do not know the possible effects 

of 1,2,3-trichloropropane in people who swallow 

1,2,3-trichloropropane or get 1,2,3-trichloropropane 

on their skin. 

Animals that breathed air containing 1,2,3-

trichloropropane at levels higher than those usually 

found in the environment developed other health 

effects. Rats and mice died after they breathed air 

containing high levels of 1,2,3-trichloropropane for 

several hours, but we do not know the exact cause 

of death. These levels of 1,2,3-trichloropropane are 

several times higher than those that can cause eye 

and throat irritation in humans. Rats that breathed 

1,2,3-trichloropropane for a few months at levels 

lower than those that affected humans developed 

eye, nose, and lung irritation and liver and kidney 

disease. 

Rats and mice usually died from damage to the liver 

and kidney within a few days after they swallowed 

a large amount of 1,2,3-trichloropropane. Most rats 

and mice that swallowed small amounts of 1,2,3-

trichloropropane every day for a few months also 

died from liver and kidney damage. Rats that 

swallowed even smaller amounts of 1,2,3-

trichloropropane every day for a few months did not 

die but developed stomach irritation, blood 

disorders, and minor liver and kidney damage. 

Rabbits had severe skin irritation and even injury to 

internal organs, including the liver, kidneys, and 

stomach after 1,2,3-trichloropropane was applied to 

their skin in large amounts for 1 day. These injuries 

can result in death. 1,2,3-Trichloropropane also 

caused eye irritation in rabbits and rats when it was 

applied to the eyes. 

We do not know if exposure of animals to very 

small amounts of 1,2,3-trichloropropane by 

breathing, swallowing, or skin contact for many 

months or years leads to serious disease or death. 

Rats that breathed low levels of 1,2,3-

trichloropropane for several weeks or swallowed 

large amounts of 1,2,3-trichloropropane for a few 

days did not develop fertility problems, but we do 

not know whether breathing high levels of 1,2,3-

trichloropropane or swallowing 1,2,3-

trichloropropane for more than a few days affects 

fertility in animals. 1,2,3-Trichloropropane has not 

been found to cause birth defects when injected in 

rats. We do not know whether 1,2,3-

trichloropropane causes cancer in humans, but 

animals that swallowed low doses of 1,2,3-

trichloropropane for most of their lives developed 

cancer in a number of organs. 

1.5 IS THERE A MEDICAL TEST TO 

DETERMINE WHETHER I HAVE BEEN 

EXPOSED TO 1,2,3-TRICHLOROPROPANE? 

Scientists can measure 1,2,3-trichloropropane in 

blood, urine, and breath, but there are no readily 

available tests to determine whether you have been 

exposed. We do not think these tests would be 

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 

1,2,3-TRICHLOROPROPANE 

 CAS#: 96-18-4 

Division of Toxicology September 1992 

adequate to allow doctors to predict harmful health 

effects. 

1.6 WHAT RECOMMENDATIONS HAS THE 

FEDERAL GOVERNMENT MADE TO 

PROTECT HUMAN HEALTH? 

The federal government has a rule designed to 

protect workers who may be exposed to 1,2,3-

trichloropropane. The Occupational Safety and 

Health Administration (OSHA) states that workers 

may not be exposed to average levels of 1,2,3-

trichloropropane greater than 10 ppm in air during 

an 8-hour workday. The federal government has no 

recommendations on environmental exposure to 

1,2,3-trichloropropane. 

1.7 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). 1992. Toxicological profile for 1,2,3-

trichloropropane. 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