Substance fact sheet
The National Pollutant Inventory (NPI) provides information on the types and amounts of pollutants being emitted in the Australian community.
This page provides facts about chloroform (trichloromethane). It describes how you might be exposed to this substance, how exposure might effect you and the environment, common uses, comparative data about chloroform (trichloromethane) and its physical and chemical properties.
For more information about some of the terms used in this page, see the NPI glossary.
The National Pollutant Inventory (NPI) holds data for all sources of chloroform (trichloromethane) emissions in Australia .
Exposure to chloroform occurs mainly through breathing or skin contact. Exposure to the vapour can irritate the eyes, nose and throat. Lower concentrations of chloroform can cause dizziness, fatigue, light-headedness, nausea, confusion and headaches. Higher levels may induce anaesthesia with changes in respiratory rate, cardiac effects (e.g. irregular heart beats), gastrointestinal effects (e.g. nausea and vomiting) and effects on the liver and kidneys. Exposure to very high levels can result in death. A fatal oral dose of chloroform may be as low as 10 mL (14.8 g) with death due to respiratory or cardiac arrest. Breathing chloroform or ingesting chloroform over long periods of time may damage liver (such as hepatitis and jaundice), kidneys, skin and central nervous system (such as depression and irritability). Skin contact with the liquid can cause a rash or a burning feeling. Repeated skin contact may produce dermatitis. Absorption through intact skin occurs rapidly. The liquid can cause severe eye burns. Chloroform is a probable carcinogen (agent that causes cancer) and it may be teratogenic (may cause foetal abnormalities).
Chloroform can be absorbed into the body by inhalation, through the skin and by ingestion.
Exposure to chloroform can occur mainly in the workplace of industries that use chloroform. Inhalation and skin contact are the most likely exposure routes. Ingestion is unlikely. The general public may be exposed to trace amounts of chloroform by drinking chlorinated water, by eating food or drinking beverages where tap water containing chloroform is used during production processes or by swimming in pools treated with chlorine.
See Sources for more information.
Australian Drinking Water Guidelines (NHMRC and ARMCANZ, 1996): Maximum of 0.25 mg/L (i.e. 0.00025 g/L)
Worksafe Australia has set the exposure standard for chloroform to 10 ppm (equivalent to 49 milligram/m3) (TWA).
Chloroform may be hazardous to the environment. Chloroform in water has moderate acute and chronic toxicity to aquatic life. The concentration of chloroform in fish tissues is expected to be somewhat higher than the average concentration of chloroform in the water from which the fish is taken. It is non-persistent in natural waters with a half-life of less than two days. Chloroform can cause damage to various plants including brittleness in roots and chromosomal damage. No data are available on the short-term effects of chloroform on birds or land animals and no data are available on the long-term effects of chloroform to plants, birds, or land animals.
Chloroform can be transported in air as vapour and dissolved in water.
Chloroform evaporates easily into the air where it eventually breaks down to other toxic chemicals such as phosgene and hydrogen chloride. This is a slow process. Chloroform dissolves in water from where it can evaporate to air or can break down to other chemicals. The vast majority of chloroform will eventually end up in air and only a small percentage will end up in water. Chloroform is not bound to soil and can travel through the soil to the ground water. Due to the absence of light and air, chloroform may last a long time in ground water.
No national guidelines.
Chloroform is primarily used in the production of refrigerants (e.g. chlorofluorocarbon (CFC)-22, fluorocarbon-22), in the production of plastics (especially vinyl chloride) and in the manufacture of other chemicals. Chloroform is used as an extraction solvent for fats, oils, greases, rubber, waxes, gutta-percha, resins, lacquers, floor polishes, artificial silk manufacture, gums and adhesives. It is utilised as an industrial solvent in the extraction and purification of some antibiotics, alkaloids, vitamins and flavours. It is used as a solvent in organic chemistry, in photography and in making dyes, drugs and pesticides. Other uses are as a dry cleaning agent to remove spots, as a fumigant and in fire extinguishers to lower the freezing temperature of carbon tetrachloride. Chloroform formulated with other ingredients is used to control screw worm in animals. Chloroform is steadily being replaced by less toxic solvents and may no longer be used in some of these applications. Its use as an inhaled anaesthetic during surgery has already been largely discontinued.
Chloroform may enter the environment from a number of sources, including industrial effluent, municipal waste treatment plant discharges, hazardous waste sites, sanitary landfills and spills.
Chloroform can be formed as a result of the chlorination of naturally occurring organic materials found in raw water supplies. Hence, water treated with chlorine (drinking water, swimming pool) may be contaminated with trace amounts of chloroform.
There are no natural sources for chloroform.
There are no mobile sources for chloroform.
There are no consumer products that contain chloroform.
Approximately 400 substances were considered for inclusion on the NPI reporting list. A ranking and total hazard score was given based on health and environmental hazards and human and environmental exposure to the substance.
Chloroform (trichloromethane) was ranked as 66out of 400. The total hazard score taking into account both human health and environmental criteria is 2.5.
On a health hazard rating of 0 - 3 chloroform (trichloromethane) registers 1.5. A score of 3 represents a very high hazard to health, 2 represents a medium hazard and 1 is harmful to health.
On an environmental rating of 0 - 3 chloroform (trichloromethane) registers 1.0. A score of 3 represents a very high hazard to the environment and 0 a negligible hazard.
Factors taken into account to obtain this ranking and these scores include the extent of the material's toxic or poisonous nature and/or its lack of toxicity, and the measure of its ability to remain active in the environment and whether it accumulates in living organisms. It does not take into account exposure to the substance. Environmental exposure is reflected in the NPI rank for this substance (see comparative data below). A substance that scores highly as an environmental hazard is oxides of nitrogen at 3.0 and one of the lower scores is carbon monoxide at 0.8. A substance that scores highly as a health hazard is arsenic at 2.3 and one of the lowest scores is ammonia at 1.0.
| Substance name | Chloroform (trichloromethane) |
| CASR number | 67-66-3 |
| Molecular formula | CHCl3 |
| Synonyms | Trichloromethane, methyl trichloride, methane trichloride, formyl trichloride, methenyl trichloride, trichloroform, TCM, Freon 20, Refrigerant R20 |
| Physical properties: Chloroform is a clear, colourless, volatile, non-flammable liquid with a pleasant, sweet odour which is detectable at ppm levels. Melting Point (°C): -64 Fire may cause closed chloroform containers to explode. |
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| Chemical properties: Chloroform is slightly soluble in water. It is miscible with alcohol, benzene, petroleum ether, carbon tetrachloride, carbon disulfide and oils. Chloroform reacts vigorously with strong caustics, strong oxidants, chemically active metals such as aluminium, lithium, magnesium, sodium or potassium, and acetone, causing fire and explosion hazards. It can attack plastic, rubber and coatings. Chloroform decomposes slowly under the influence of light and air. It also decomposes on contact with hot surfaces, flames or fire, forming irritating and toxic fumes which consist of hydrogen chloride, phosgene and chlorine. |
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