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PUBLIC HEALTH STATEMENT 

CHLOROBENZENE 

CAS#: 108-90-7 

Division of Toxicology December 1990 

This Public Health Statement is the summary 

chapter from the Toxicological Profile for 

Chlorobenzene. 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 chlorobenzene and to emphasize 

the human health effects that may result from 

exposure to it. The Environmental Protection 

Agency (EPA) has identified 1,177 sites on its 

National Priorities List (NPL). Chlorobenzene has 

been found at 97 of these sites. However, we do not 

know how many of the 1,177 NPL sites have been 

evaluated for chlorobenzene. As EPA evaluates 

more sites, the number of sites at which 

chlorobenzene is found may change. The 

information is important for you because 

chlorobenzene may cause harmful health effects and 

because these sites are potential or actual sources of 

human exposure to chlorobenzene. 

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 

chlorobenzene, 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 CHLOROBENZENE? 

Chlorobenzene is a colorless liquid with an almondlike odor. The compound does not occur widely in 

nature, but is manufactured for use as a solvent (a 

substance used to dissolve other substances) and is 

used in the production of other chemicals. 

Chlorobenzene persists in soil (several months), in 

air (3.5 days), and water (less than 1 day). 

1.2 HOW MIGHT I BE EXPOSED TO 

CHLOROBENZENE? 

There is potential for humans to be exposed to 

chlorobenzene by breathing contaminated air, by 

drinking water or eating food contaminated with 

chlorobenzene, or by getting chlorobenzene 

contaminated soil on the skin. These exposures are 

most likely to occur in the workplace or in the 

vicinity of chemical waste sites. 

Occupational exposure occurs primarily through 

breathing the chemical. Personnel engaged in the 

production and handling of chlorobenzene 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 

CHLOROBENZENE 

CAS#: 108-90-7 

Division of Toxicology December 1990 

at greatest risk. Levels of chlorobenzene in the air at 

several industrial sites during normal operations 

were found to be below allowable federal standards. 

Exposure in humans could occur in persons living 

or working in the vicinity of hazardous waste sites 

if emissions to water, air, and soil are not 

adequately controlled. 

Chlorobenzene has been found at 97 out of 1,177 

NPL hazardous waste sites in the United States. 

Thus, federal and state surveys suggest that 

chlorobenzene is not a widespread environmental 

contaminant. The chemical has not been detected in 

surface water, although a few ground water systems 

have been found with chlorobenzene levels in the 

parts per billion (ppb) range. Background levels of 

less than 1 ppb were detected in air samples from 

urban and suburban areas. No information of the 

occurrence of chlorobenzene in food has been 

found. 

1.3 HOW CAN CHLOROBENZENE ENTER 

AND LEAVE MY BODY? 

Chlorobenzene enters your body when you breathe 

in air containing it, when you drink water or eat 

food containing it, or when it comes in contact with 

your skin. Human exposure to contaminated water 

could occur near hazardous waste sites where 

chlorobenzene is present. Significant exposure to 

chlorobenzene is not expected to occur by getting 

chlorobenzene contaminated soil on your skin. 

When chlorobenzene enters your body, most of it is 

expelled from your lungs in the air we breathe out 

and in urine. 

1.4 HOW CAN CHLOROBENZENE AFFECT 

MY HEALTH? 

Workers exposed to high levels of chlorobenzene 

complained of headaches, numbness, sleepiness, 

nausea, and vomiting. However, it is not known if 

chlorobenzene alone was responsible for these 

health effects since the workers may have also been 

exposed to other chemicals at the same time. Mild 

to severe depression of functions of parts of the 

nervous system is a common response to exposure 

to a wide variety of industrial solvents (a substance 

that dissolves other substances). 

In animals, exposure to high concentrations of 

chlorobenzene affects the brain, liver, and kidneys. 

Unconsciousness, tremors and restlessness have 

been observed. The chemical can cause severe 

injury to the liver and kidneys. Data indicate that 

chlorobenzene does not affect reproduction or cause 

birth defects. Studies in animals have shown that 

chlorobenzene can produce liver nodules, providing 

some but not clear evidence of cancer risk. 

1.5 WHAT LEVELS OF EXPOSURE HAVE 

RESULTED IN HARMFUL EFFECTS? 

It is not known what levels of exposure to 

chlorobenzene result in harmful health effects in 

people. In animals, exposure to 75 parts per million 

(ppm) chlorobenzene in air or approximately 2,000– 

5,000 ppm in food resulted in liver and kidney 

damage. 

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 

CHLOROBENZENE 

CAS#: 108-90-7 

Division of Toxicology December 1990 

1.6 IS THERE A MEDICAL TEST TO 

DETERMINE WHETHER I HAVE BEEN 

EXPOSED TO CHLOROBENZENE? 

Exposure to chlorobenzene can be determined by 

measuring the chemical or its metabolite in urine, 

exhaled air, blood, and body fat. Tests are not 

routinely available at the doctor's office. Specific 

tests are available that can determine if exposure is 

currently occurring or has occurred very recently, 

but not whether exposure occurred in the past. 

Further, levels in the various media stated above do 

not predict adverse health effects. 

1.7 WHAT RECOMMENDATIONS HAS THE 

FEDERAL GOVERNMENT MADE TO 

PROTECT HUMAN HEALTH? 

The EPA has set a Maximum Contaminant Level 

(MCL) of 0.1 parts per million (0.1 ppm) for 

chlorobenzene in drinking water. Concentrations in 

drinking water for short-term exposures (up to 10 

days) should not exceed 2 ppm. The EPA 

recommends that levels of chlorinated benzenes (a 

group of chemicals that includes chlorobenzene) in 

lakes and streams should be limited to 0.488 ppm to 

prevent possible health effects from drinking water 

or eating fish contaminated with this group of 

chemicals. Any release to the environment greater 

than 100 pounds of chlorobenzene must be reported 

to the EPA. 

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration 

(OSHA) has set a workplace air concentration limit 

of 75 ppm over an 8-hour workday, 40-hour 

workweek. 

The federal recommendations have been updated as 

of July 1999. 

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). 1990. Toxicological profile for 

chlorobenzene. 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