Managed by Martin Marietta Energy Systems, Inc., for the U.S. Department of Energy under Contract No. Humans are sensitive to carbon tetrachloride intoxication by oral, inhalation and dermal routes. Oral and inhalation exposure to high concentrations of carbon tetrachloride results in acute central nervous system effects including dizziness, vertigo, headache, depression, confusion, incoordination and, in severe cases, respiratory failure, coma and death. Gastrointestinal problems including nausea, abdominal pain and diarrhea, often accompany these narcotic effects. Liver and kidney damage can appear after the acute symptoms subside.
All symptoms can occur following a single oral or inhalation exposure.
Milder narcotic effects followed by liver and kidney damage have been reported following dermal exposure. Prolonged exposure has been observed to cause visual effects in both humans and animals. Although data for the carcinogenicity of carbon tetrachloride in humans are inconclusive, there is ample evidence in animals that the chemical can cause liver cancer. Hepatocellular carcinomas have been induced in hamsters, rats and mice after oral carbon tetrachloride treatment for 16 to 76 weeks. Liver tumors have also been demonstrated in rats following inhalation exposure, but the doses were not quantitatively established.