Chloroform (trichloromethane): Environmental effects
Description
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.
Entering the environment
Chloroform can be transported in air as vapour and dissolved in water.
Where it ends up
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.
Environmental guidelines
No national guidelines.
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