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PUBLIC HEALTH STATEMENT 

BIS(CHLOROMETHYL) ETHER 

CAS#: 542-88-1 

Division of Toxicology December 1989 

This Public Health Statement is the summary 

chapter from the Toxicological Profile for 

Bis(chloromethyl) ether. 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. 

1.1 WHAT IS BIS(CHLOROMETHYL) 

ETHER? 

Bis(chloromethyl) ether (BCME) is a man-made 

chemical with a strong, unpleasant odor. It is a clear 

liquid at room temperature, but it readily evaporates 

into air. BCME undergoes chemical reactions 

easily, so it is broken down very rapidly when it 

comes into contact with water. Consequently, any 

BCME that might escape from a chemical plant or a 

chemical waste site into water or moist soil would 

be destroyed within a few minutes. BCME that 

escapes into air is also broken down by reacting 

with water and other chemicals, but this takes a few 

hours. 

BCME was used in the past to make several types 

of polymers, resins and textiles. However, because 

BCME is believed to cause cancer in humans, these 

uses have been stopped. BCME is now used only in 

small amounts inside fully enclosed systems in 

chemical plants. 

1.2 HOW MIGHT I BE EXPOSED TO 

BIS(CHLOROMETHYL) ETHER? 

Since BCME has such limited use in the United 

States, chances for exposure to BCME are low. 

Some BCME can form as an impurity during the 

production of other chemicals, so exposure might 

occur in chemical plants that make or use these 

chemicals. Also, some BCME may exist in 

chemical waste sites, although this is not certain. 

Because BCME evaporates easily, the most likely 

way to be exposed to BCME in the workplace or 

around a waste site is by breathing air containing 

BCME vapors. However, information on levels of 

BCME which exist in air is not available. 

1.3 HOW CAN BIS(CHLOROMETHYL) 

ETHER ENTER AND LEAVE MY BODY? 

Because BCME is so quickly broken down by 

water, most BCME that contacts the body is quickly 

changed into other chemicals (formaldehyde and 

hydrochloric acid) before it passes through the 

outermost layer of cells contacted (e.g., the cells 

that line the nose, windpipe and lungs). Some 

BCME may enter into the blood or internal tissues, 

but this has not been studied and the amount may be 

too small to measure. 

1.4 HOW CAN BIS(CHLOROMETHYL) 

ETHER AFFECT MY HEALTH? 

Studies of people exposed to BCME in the 

workplace show that breathing of BCME vapors 

causes irritation to the nose, throat, and lungs. 

Contact with the liquid is also highly irritating to 

skin. In animals, breathing in high levels of BCME 

causes swelling and bleeding in the lung and can 

cause death. Workers exposed to BCME have been 

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 

BIS(CHLOROMETHYL) ETHER 

CAS#: 542-88-1 

Division of Toxicology December 1989 

shown to have a higher-than-expected incidence of 

lung cancer. This observation is supported by 

studies in animals which also show that BCME can 

cause cancer. 

1.5 IS THERE A MEDICAL TEST TO 

DETERMINE WHETHER I HAVE BEEN 

EXPOSED TO BIS(CHLOROMETHYL) 

ETHER? 

Because BCME is broken down so rapidly in the 

body, there are no specific tests to determine if a 

human has been exposed to this compound. The 

only available medical tests are physical 

examination of the nose and throat, chest X-ray, and 

examination of the sputum for abnormal cell types. 

Unfortunately, these tests are not specific for this 

compound, and would reveal effects of the 

compound only after damage to the tissues had 

already occurred. 

1.6 WHAT LEVELS OF EXPOSURE HAVE 

RESULTED IN HARMFUL HEALTH 

EFFECTS? 

No information exists for either animals or humans 

on harmful health effects following oral exposure, 

but oral exposure is of little concern since BCME 

breaks down in water or moist foods and exposure 

is not likely by this route. Direct skin contact with 

even small amounts (less than a drop) of the liquid 

form of BCME causes severe skin irritation at the 

site of contact. It is not known what levels result in 

health effects in people from breathing BCME. In 

animals, lung injury has occurred from short and 

long-term exposure to levels of 0.7 parts per million 

(ppm) BCME and greater. An increased number of 

deaths due to nasal tumors was seen in animals 

exposed to BCME in air at levels of 0.1 ppm for 6 

months. 

1.7 WHAT RECOMMENDATIONS HAS THE 

FEDERAL GOVERNMENT MADE TO 

PROTECT HUMAN HEALTH? 

The EPA recommends that levels in lakes and 

streams should be limited to 0.0000038 parts per 

billion parts of water (0.0000038 ppb) to prevent 

possible health effects from drinking water or eating 

fish contaminated with bis(chloromethyl) ether. 

Any release to the environment greater than 10 

pounds of bis(chloromethyl) ether must be reported 

to the EPA. 

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration 

(OSHA) has set a limit of 1 ppb as the highest 

acceptable level in workplace air, and strict controls 

have been established to minimize exposure to this 

chemical. 

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 

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 

BIS(CHLOROMETHYL) ETHER 

CAS#: 542-88-1 

Division of Toxicology December 1989 

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). 1989. Toxicological profile for 

Bis(chloromethyl) ether. 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