United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
Off ice of
Solid Waste and
Emergency Response
Publication 9230.0-OSFSc
September1992
Superfund Fact Sheet:
Trichloroethylene
Office of Emergency and Remedial Response
Hazardous Site Control Division (5203G)
Quick Reference Fact Sheet
Many chemicals are found at Superfund hazardous waste sites. The Superfund
Program's mission includes identifying the chemicals, evaluating their potential health
effects on the people who live, work, or play nearby, keeping the public informed,
and supervising the cleanup of the site.
This fact sheet is one in a series produced by the Superfund Program. It is intended
for readers with no formal scientific training. It is based on an EPA draft Criteria
Document and a Toxicological Profile prepared in 1989 by the Agency for Toxic
Substances and Disease Registry (U.S. Public Health Service).
What (8 Trichloroethylene (TCE) is a man-made chemical. At room temperature, it is a
trlchloroethylene? colorless liquid with an odor like ether or chloroform. TCE is a very volatile com-
pound. It is used as a solvent, mostly to remove grease from metal parts. It is also a
component of other chemicals.
TCE is commonly among the contaminants at Superfund sites. In combination with
other chemicals, TCE may have a synergistic action on the toxicity of the mixture.
This means that the combined effect of two (or more) chemicals is much greater than
would be predicted by simply adding the effects of the two.
How are people We are all exposed to low, background levels of TCE in the air, and many people are
exposed to exposed to it in drinking water. We inhale tiny amounts of TCE each day, varying
trlchloroethylene? by where we live.
Many lakes, streams, and underground water deposits that are sources of drinking
water also have background levels of TCE. Federal and State surveys indicate that 9 to
34 percent of the water supply sources in the United States may be contaminated to some
degree with TCE
Higher levels of TCE exposure can be associated with:
• Evaporation to the atmosphere from handling contaminated soil and water;
• Evaporation from adhesive glues, paints and paint removers, spot removers, rug
cleaners, and other chemicals;
• Burning and air-cleaning at waste treatment plants that receive wastewater con-
taining TCE; and
• Former use in the commercial dry-cleaning industry.
At hazardous-waste disposal sites, such as those included in Superfund, TCE is
released to the air by evaporation and into underground water by passing through
the soil. TCE has been found in at least 39 percent of the hazardous waste sites on
the National Priorities List
In conducting site investigations, EPA may determine that although TCE is
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found at a site, there is little chance that people will come into contact with it.
If there is no probability of exposure to the TCE, and there is no reason to
believe that there will be in the future, then the TCE at the site poses no risk.
The type of health problems an individual might experience depends on the
chemical, how much of the chemical a person is exposed to and how long the
exposure lasts. Some chemicals are harmful in small amounts and other chemi-
cals are not harmful even in very large amounts.
How does
trlchloroethylene get
Into the body?
The most common way for TCE to enter the body is in drinking water. TCE can
also enter the body by breathing TCE vapors or through the skin. Federal informa-
tion indicates that most of the US. population using public water supplies drinks water
containing less than 05 parts per billion (ppb) TCE. This level is ten times less than the
current Federal drinking water standard for TCE. TCE levels in public drinking water
are closely monitored and regulated under the Federal Safe Drinking Water Act. If TCE
has made its way into the drinking water and exceeds allowable levels, temporary
safety measures may have to be offered.
Is there a medical test
to determine exposure
to trlchloroethylene?
Although EPA does not generally conduct tests, recent TCE intake can be deter-
mined by measuring TCE in the breath. Another way to determine TCE intake is by
measuring breakdown products (metabolites) of TCE in the urine or blood. Because
trichloroacetic acid is removed very slowly from the body, it can be measured in the
urine for up to a week after exposure to TCE. This test cannot prove TCE intake,
however, because other chemicals produce the same breakdown products in the
urine and blood.
How can
trlchloroethylene affect
people's health?
One or more of the following symptoms have occurred in people who drank TCE
by mistake (or as a substitute for alcohol) or who breathed TCE at work or in poorly
ventilated areas: nausea, dizziness, headache, sleepiness, numbness of the face and
hands, inability to grasp objects, irregularities of the heart beat (some can be lethal),
transient liver damage, unconsciousness, coma, and, rarely, death.
If you believe you have been exposed to harmful levels of TCE, you should contact
your physician and report the situation to the EPA Community Relations Coordina-
tor (CRC) assigned to your Region. Telephone numbers for CRCs are given at the
end of this fact sheet.
Although most of the effects TCE has on human health gradually disappear when
intake ends, animal studies suggest the potential for some long-term health prob-
lems in people. Breathing or ingesting high levels of TCE can produce liver and
kidney damage, nervous system changes, effects on the blood, tumors of the liver,
kidney, lung, and male sex organs, and possibly white blood cell cancer (leukemia)
in animals. A few studies in pregnant animals exposed to TCE in air or food
showed effects on unborn animals and newborns.
What recommendations
has the Federal
government made to
protect human health?
In January 1989, EPA established a drinking water standard for TCE. This level
applies to community water systems and those that serve the same 25 or more
persons for at least 6 months of the year. TCE levels in workplace air are regulated
by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).
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EPA also requires industry to report TCE spills of 1,000 pounds or more. A reduc-
tion to a 100-pound level has been proposed.
At specific Superfund sites, EPA makes every effort to monitor TCE levels and
safeguard public health. EPA investigators determine if there are excessive levels of
TCE, what risks they pose for people, and how the cleanup can bring TCE levels to
safe, approved limits. While the cleanup is underway, temporary safety measures
may need to be offered. For example, if TCE has made its way into drinking water,
an alternate source may have to be supplied, or if it has entered the food chain,
consumption of affected fish, animals, or milk may have to be banned.
Where can I get This fact sheet has been designed to provide general information on trichloroethyl-
more Information on ene. More information about TCE at a specific site is available from the Community
this Chemical? Relations Coordinator (CRC) for each EPA Region. Community Relations Offices
are listed on the back of this fact sheet.
For additional technical details and a review of current research, contact EPA's Safe
Drinking Water Hotline at 1-800-426-4791 or see the Agency for Toxic Substance
stances and Disease Registry's Toxicological Profile for Trichloroethylene. Informa-
tion on obtaining this profile is available by calling ATSDR's Toxicology Informa-
tion Service, at (404) 639-6000. The information service is accessible 24 hours per day
by touchtone phone.
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Regional Superfund Community Relations Offices
Region 1
Superfund Community Relations
Office of Public Affairs
EPA Region 1 (RPA-74)
#1 Congress Street
Boston. MA 02203
(617) 565-3425
Region 2
Community Relations Branch
External Programs Division
EPA Region 2 (2-EPD)
26 Federal Plaza
New York, NY 10278
(212) 264-7054
Region 3
Superfund Community Relations
Office of External Affairs
EPA Region 3 (3EA21)
841 Chestnut Street
Philadelphia, PA 19107
(215) 597-9905
Region 4
Superfund Community Relations
Waste Management Division
EPA Region 4
345 Courtland Street, N.E.
Atlanta, GA 30365
(404) 347-2643
Region 5
Superfund Community Relations
Office of Public Affairs
EPA Region 5
Metcalfe Federal Bldg.
77 West Jackson Blvd.
Chicago, IL 60604
(312) 353-2073
Region 6
Superfund Community Relations
Hazardous Waste Mgmt. Division
EPA Region 6 (6H-SS)
1445 Ross Avenue
12th Floor, Suite 1200
Dallas, TX 75270
(214) 655-2240
Region 7
Community Relations
Office of Public Affairs
EPA Region 7
726 Minnesota Avenue
Kansas City , KS 66101
(913)551-7003
Region 8
Community Relations Branch
Office of External Affairs
EPA Region 8 (80EA)
1 Denver Place
999 18th Street, Suite 1300
Denver, CO 80202
(303)294-1144
Region 9
Superfund Community Relations
Hazardous Waste Mgmt. Division
EPA Region 9 (T-1-3)
75 Hawthorne Street
San Francisco, CA 94105
(415) 744-2178
Region 10
Community Relations Section
Hazardous Waste Division
EPA Region 10 (HW117)
1200 6th Avenue
Seattle, WA 98101
(206) 553-6901
United States
Environmental Protection
Agency (5203G)
Washington, DC 20460
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