Substance fact sheet
The background information page contains information and concepts that will be useful in understanding some of the issues surrounding the NPI. It is strongly recommended that you read this before reading the information presented below.
For an explanation of some of the terms used in this page, see the Glossary
| Substance name | Tetrachloroethylene |
| CASR number | 127-18-4 |
| Molecular formula | C2Cl4 |
| Synonyms | Perchloroethylene; PERK; PERC; Ethylene tetrachloride; tetrachloroethene; 1,1,2,2-tetrachloroethylene; carbon dichloride; perchlor; tetrachloroethane; carbon bichloride; perk |
Physical and chemical properties Physical properties: Tetrachloroethylene is a colourless liquid solvent. Although it is a liquid at room temperature, some will evaporate giving a sweet ether like odour. Melting Point (°C): -22.3 Boiling Point (°C): 121.1 Specific Gravity: 1.623 Vapour Density: 5.8 Chemical properties: |
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Common uses The largest user of tetrachloroethylene is the dry cleaning industry. It is a large percentage of all dry cleaning fluid used. Textile mills, vapour degreasers and metal cleaning operations, and rubber coatings also use tetrachloroethylene. It can be added to solvent soaps, printing inks, adhesives, sealants, polishes, lubricants and silicones. |
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Sources of emissions Point sources The primary sources of tetrachloroethylene emissions are the industries that manufacture it or use it in production. Some of the industries that use it in production are dry cleaners, the chemical industry, rubber manufacturers, heavy equipment manufacturing (degreasing), electroplating facilities (degreasing), pulp and paper manufacture (for de-inking paper), the manufacturers of inks. These are emissions to the air unless there is a spill. Diffuse sources, and point sources included in aggregated emissions data Other possible emitters of Tetrachloroethylene are degreasing operations, paint, varnish and lacquer removal, and consumer products containing Tetrachloroethylene. These are emissions to the air unless there is a spill. Natural sources Tetrachloroethylene does not occur naturally in the environment. Mobile sources No major mobile sources, although it is possible to have emissions from clothes being transported from the dry cleaners. Consumer products which may contain Tetrachloroethylene Aerosol paints, agricultural chemicals, automotive chemicals, furniture polish and cleaners, hard surface cleaners, rug carpet and upholstery cleaners, lubricating greases and oils, paint and varnish removers and thinners, textile finishes, typewriter correction fluids and waterproofing compounds. |
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Health effects How might I be exposed to Tetrachloroethylene? Workers in the industries that use or produce tetrachloroethylene are at risk of exposure. Consumers can be exposed to tetrachloroethylene by exposure to air from production and processing facilities using tetrachloroethylene, or drinking water from contaminated water. Consumers may also be exposed to tetrachloroethylene when using consumer products containing tetrachloroethylene, or by spending time in dry cleaning facilities using tetrachloroethylene or by bringing dry cleaned clothes into their homes. By what pathways might Tetrachloroethylene enter my body? Tetrachloroethylene evaporates quickly and so the most common exposure is from breathing air containing it. It may also enter the body if we eat or drink food or water that has been contaminated. It does not pass through the skin. Relative health hazard On a health hazard spectrum of 0 - 3 Tetrachloroethylene registers 1.2. A score of 3 represents a very high hazard to health, 2 represents a medium hazard and 1 is harmful to health. Factors that are taken into account to obtain this ranking include the extent of the material's toxic or poisonous nature and/or its lack of toxicity, and the evaluation of its tendency to cause, or not cause cancer and/or birth defects. It does not take into account exposure to the substance. Human exposure is reflected in the NPI rank given to this substance (see comparative data below). 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.  Health guidelines Worksafe Australia: For tetrachloroethylene, it is allowable for workers to be exposed to concentrations of 50 parts per million over an eight hour workshift, with concentrations not greater than 150 parts per million. Australian Drinking Water Guidelines (NHMRC and ARMCANZ, 1996): Maximum of 0.05 mg/L (i.e. 0.00005 g/L) See the Additional Information page for current health information. The Australian NOHSC National Exposure Standards Database link is probably the most useful source of information. Note that the emissions data in the NPI database is not directly comparable with these guidelines. What effect might Tetrachloroethylene have on my health? In high concentrations, in air, with closed or poorly ventilated areas, single exposures to tetrachloroethylene may cause central nervous system effects leading to dizziness, headache, sleepiness, confusion, nausea, difficulty in speaking or walking, and possibly unconsciousness and death. It is a narcotic at high levels. Adverse liver and kidney effects have been observed in workers that had long term exposure to tetrachloroethylene. It will also defat the skin causing irritation and dryness. Worksafe Australia reports tetrachloroethylene is a 'suspected carcinogen'. |
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Environmental effects Environmental Fate Tetrachloroethylene enters the air during production, use and transporting it. In the air it will break down into other chemicals (phosgene, a toxic chemical and chloroacetylchlorides) in a few weeks to a few months. Tetrachloroethylene and its products of degradation contribute to photochemical smog. Although most of the tetrachloroethylene released is to the air, when released to the soil it will either evaporate or leach into the ground water (bores). It will also quickly evaporate if released to surface water. In the soil and water bacteria will break it down, very slowly. In the soil and subsurface water it may last for months to years Environmental Transport Industrial emissions of tetrachloroethylene can produce elevated concentrations in the atmosphere around the source. Most of the releases are to the air, releases to the soil and water quickly evaporate to the air. Since it does not bind to soil well, tetrachloroethylene that makes its way into the ground, and does not evaporate may move through the ground and enter groundwater (bore water). Tetrachloroethylene is also transported on clothes that have recently been to the dry cleaners. Relative hazard to the environment On an environmental spectrum of 0 - 3 Tetrachloroethylene registers 2.5. A score of 3 represents a very high hazard to the environment and 0 a negligible hazard. Factors that are taken into account to obtain this ranking 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 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.  Environmental guidelines See the Additional Information page for current environmental guidelines. No national guidelines. What effect might Tetrachloroethylene have on the environment? Tetrachloroethylene will exist as a gas if released to the atmosphere. It dissolves only slightly when mixed with water. It also evaporates from soil and water when they are exposed to the air. In the air it is reacted into other chemicals, in several weeks. It has moderate acute (short-term) toxicity on aquatic life. It has moderate chronic (long-term) toxicity to aquatic life. Chronic and acute effects on plants, birds or land animals have not been determined, but appear to be low. Tetrachloroethylene does bioaccumulate to a limited extent. The concentration of tetrachloroethylene in the tissues of fish are expected to be somewhat higher than the concentration of tetrachloroethylene in the water from which the fish was taken. |
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Comparative data NPI Rank Approximately 400 substances were considered for inclusion on the NPI reporting list. A risk ranking was given based on health and environmental hazard identification and human and environmental exposure to the substance. Some substances were grouped together at the same rank with 208 ranks in total. Tetrachloroethylene was ranked as 16 out of the 208 ranks. Total hazard score (human health + environmental criteria) = 3.7.  |
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Sources of information used in preparing this article
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