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Name: Trichloroethylene
Chemical Formula: C2HCl3
Common Uses: Most folks find it in industrial degreasing, removing spots in cleaning operations, some older adhesive formulations, and certain refrigerant products.
Appearance: A clear, volatile liquid with a distinct, sweet odor that often draws comparisons to chloroform, but slightly more pungent.
Main Health Risks: Breathing in vapors can make you dizzy, cause headaches, and in some cases, knock you out. Direct, repeated skin contact tends to dry and crack skin or spark irritation. Eyes may water or burn. Swallowing it leads to nausea, vomiting, and risk of central nervous system issues.
Long-Term Impact: Years of exposure in the workplace have caused concerns about liver, kidney, and even immune system effects. Evidence ties it to some cancers, making it a chemical most regulators and watchdog groups don’t take lightly.
Physical Hazards: Vapors can build up and act as a heavier-than-air flammable hazard in low-ventilation spaces. It doesn’t like sparks, heat, or open flames—this is not a garage-floor cleaner for the home hobbyist.
Environmental Risks: Spills tend to persist, seep into groundwater, and poison wildlife over a long stretch of time.
Main Ingredient: Trichloroethylene at near 100% concentration in pure industrial applications.
CAS Number: 79-01-6
Potential Impurities: Depending on grade, trace contaminants from production, such as stabilizers, remain possible.
Inhalation: Move the person to fresh air right away. If breathing has stopped or feels labored, supporting with artificial respiration often matters more than anything else until help arrives.
Skin Contact: Losing skin oils happens quickly when trichloroethylene stays in contact, so rapid washing with plenty of soap and water helps limit long-term irritation.
Eye Exposure: Rinse the eyes with lots of water for at least 15 minutes. Remove contact lenses, if present, and push for medical attention as soon as possible.
Ingestion: If swallowed, medical attention should take priority. Don’t try to induce vomiting without expert input, due to risk of the chemical getting into the lungs.
Suitable Extinguishing Media: Dry chemical, carbon dioxide, and foam extinguishers hold up for small fires. Use water spray to keep containers cool, but avoid full jets that may spread hazardous liquid.
Specific Hazards: Fires involving trichloroethylene pump out toxic gases, including hydrogen chloride and phosgene, both of which create severe risk for firefighters and bystanders.
Protective Equipment: Full protective gear and self-contained breathing apparatus mean lower risk for those handling the fire.
Special Notes: Evacuate the area. Prevent runoff from getting into drains or open waterways if possible.
Personal Precautions: Ventilate the area before taking a single step closer. Get protective gloves and chemical-resistant clothing on right away to avoid skin contact.
Methods for Cleanup: Absorb spilled liquid with non-combustible materials like sand or earth—shovel into a leak-proof container and seal tightly.
Environmental Precautions: Block off drains, limit any substance loads making their way into sewers, and inform environmental response authorities about major spills.
Handling Advice: Work only with solid local exhaust or downdraft ventilation and, where necessary, respiratory protection. Avoid breathing vapors. Do not eat, drink, or smoke around the chemical.
Storage Guidance: Store in tightly sealed containers, kept upright, and in cool, well-ventilated spaces well away from incompatible substances like strong bases or reactive metals. Keeping trichloroethylene locked and limiting access reduces mishaps.
Occupational Limits: OSHA sets a permissible exposure limit for trichloroethylene around 100 ppm as an 8-hour time-weighted average, though many experts argue the bar should be much lower, given modern cancer data.
Engineering Controls: Local exhaust or full area ventilation cut the risk of vapor buildup. Where that doesn't cut it, resorting to enclosed handling solutions adds another layer.
Personal Protective Equipment: Chemical-resistant gloves, splash-proof safety goggles, and flame-resistant aprons remain non-negotiable. Proper cartridge respirators or, in higher concentrations, supplied-air systems give workers an upper hand.
State: Colorless, volatile liquid
Odor: Sweet, ether-like
Boiling Point: Around 87°C
Vapor Pressure: Moderate at room temperature, vaporizes easily, adding risk in warm spaces
Solubility: Slightly soluble in water, mixes fully with many organic solvents
Density: Heavier than water—tends to sink instead of float if spilled
Stability: Remains stable under most storage conditions, but breaks down in strong sunlight or heat exposure, producing toxic and corrosive fumes.
Reacts With: Alkali metals, strong bases, and strong oxidizers stir up dangerous reactions and should always stay far from trichloroethylene.
Decomposition: Produces phosgene, hydrogen chloride, and chlorine if burned or heated above normal processing temperatures.
Short-Term Effects: Inhaling moderate vapor causes headache, lightheadedness, short-term confusion, incoordination, and unconsciousness at high enough doses.
Long-Term Effects: Chronic exposure links to liver and kidney toxicity, immune suppression, neurobehavioral effects, and even several types of cancer, especially kidney and liver cancer.
Sensitivity: Individuals with preexisting liver or kidney conditions stand at higher risk of harm.
Persistence: Tends to resist breakdown in soil and water, which means it can remain a threat for local wildlife and drinking water for years.
Mobility: Sinks through soil to reach groundwater, making well contamination a recurring story where it’s handled carelessly.
Bioaccumulation: Not likely to build up in animal tissue, but repeated releases boost risk to aquatic life and disrupt wetland balance.
Preferred Disposal: Incineration in permitted hazardous waste facilities ensures destruction. Dumping into regular landfill or local sewage stirs up long-standing environmental harm.
Empty Containers: Treat as hazardous waste—the residue inside still brings the same risks as the full-strength liquid. Triple-rinsing rarely solves the risk for anyone handling the container after use.
UN Number: 1710
Hazard Class: Classified as a hazardous good for road, rail, and sea. Flammable properties mean even closed containers must stay away from direct sunlight or intense heat in transit.
Special Transport Precautions: Keep upright, tightly sealed, with spill kit and emergency gear onboard for larger transfers.
Major Regulations: The United States Environmental Protection Agency closely lists trichloroethylene as a hazardous air pollutant and hazardous waste. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration lays out detailed requirements for exposure control, while the European Union classifies it as a substance of very high concern due to its health and environmental dangers.
Worker Protections: Comprehensive training, regular air monitoring, and medical surveillance for workers in high-exposure roles stem from legal requirements and lessons learned from historical cases where precautions failed.
