Summary |
What is 1,2,3-trichloropropane? |
What happens to 1,2,3-trichloropropane when
it enters the environment? |
How might I be exposed to 1,2,3-trichloropropane? |
How can 1,2,3-trichloropropane affect my health? |
How likely is 1,2,3-trichloropropane to cause
cancer? |
Is there a medical test to show whether I've
been exposed to 1,2,3-trichloropropane? |
Has the federal government made recommendations
to protect human health? |
Glossary |
References |
Contact Information |
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September 1995 |
ToxFAQs™ |
for |
1,2,3-Trichloropropane |
(1,2,3-Tricloropropano) |
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This fact sheet answers the most frequently
asked health questions about 1,2,3-trichloropropane. For more
information, you may call the ATSDR Information Center at
1-888-422-8737. This fact sheet is one in a series of summaries
about hazardous substances and their health effects. This
information is important because this substance may harm you.
The effects of exposure to any hazardous substance depend
on the dose, the duration, how you are exposed, personal traits
and habits, and whether other chemicals are present.
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SUMMARY: Exposure to 1,2,3-trichloropropane
may occur from drinking water or from breathing air that
is contaminated. This is most likely to occur near facilities
that produce the chemical or near hazardous waste sites.
People who are exposed to 1,2,3-trichloropropane can have
eye and throat irritation. This chemical has been found
in at least 20 of 1,416 National Priorities List sites
identified by the Environmental Protection Agency. |
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What
is 1,2,3-trichloropropane? |
1,2,3-Trichloropropane is a synthetic
chemical that is also known as allyl trichloride, glycerol
trichlorohydrin, and trichlorohydrin.
It is a colorless, heavy liquid with
a sweet but strong odor. It evaporates very quickly and small
amounts dissolve in water.
It is mainly used to make other chemicals.
Some of it is also used as an industrial solvent, paint and
varnish remover, and cleaning and degreasing agent.
Very little information is available
on the amounts manufactured and the specific uses.
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What
happens to 1,2,3-trichloropropane when it enters the environment? |
- It breaks down in the atmosphere when exposed to sunlight.
- Every 15 days, half of the amount of 1,2,3-trichloropropane
present in the air breaks down.
- It evaporates from surface water and surface soil.
- It leaches from deeper soil into the groundwater where
it slowly breaks down.
- There is very little evaporation from groundwater, so
1,2,3-trichloropropane can stay in groundwater for a long
time.
- Very little sticks to soil particles.
- It is not expected to build up in fish or plants.
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How
might I be exposed to 1,2,3-trichloropropane? |
- Breathing low levels in the air.
- Drinking low levels in water.
- Drinking contaminated well water from wells near hazardous
waste sites.
- Touching liquids or soil that contain 1,2,3-trichloropropane.
- Working in a facility where 1,2,3-trichloropropane is
used.
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How
can 1,2,3-trichloropropane affect my health? |
Exposure to high levels of 1,2,3-trichloropropane
for a short time causes eye and throat irritation. People
exposed to 100 parts of 1,2,3-trichloropropane per million
parts of air (ppm) felt irritation, and some people exposed
to 50 ppm for an 8-hour workday also had throat and eye irritation.
We don't know what would happen to someone who breathed low
levels for a long time. We also don't know what happens to
people who swallow it or get it on their skin.
Rats and mice died after breathing air
containing 1,2,3-trichloropropane at levels higher than we
have in the environment. When rats breathed it at levels lower
than those that irritated humans, they developed eye, nose,
and lung irritation, and liver and kidney disease. The main
health effect in both animals and people is damage to the
respiratory system.
When rats swallowed 1,2,3-trichloropropane
at high levels, they died from liver and kidney damage. When
exposed to moderate levels that did not cause death, the rats
had minor liver and kidney damage, blood disorders, and stomach
irritation.
When it was applied to the skin of rabbits,
it caused severe irritation followed by injury to internal
organs. This happened only when large amounts were applied
to the skin.
We do not know if 1,2,3-trichloropropane
damages people's ability to reproduce or if it causes birth
defects. When rats breathed low levels for several weeks or
swallowed a large amount for a few days there were no effects
on their ability to reproduce and there was no increase in
birth defects.
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How
likely is 1,2,3-trichloropropane to cause cancer? |
The Department of Health and Human Services,
the International Agency for Research on Cancer, and the Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA) have not classified 1,2,3-trichloropropane
for carcinogenicity.
We do not know whether 1,2,3-trichloropropane
causes cancer in humans, but animals that swallowed low doses
for most of their lives developed tumors in several organs.
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Is
there a medical test to show whether I've been exposed to 1,2,3-trichloropropane? |
1,2,3-Trichloropropane can be measured
in your blood, urine, and breath. However, it breaks down
quickly and leaves your body in your breath, urine, and feces.
The test cannot measure how much you have been exposed to
or whether your health will be affected. The test requires
special methods and equipment and is not usually available
at your doctor's office.
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Has the federal government made recommendations to protect human health? |
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
recommends that no more than 2 parts of 1,2,3-trichloropropane
per million parts (ppm) of water should be present in water
that adults drink over a long period of time (7 years).
For children, the recommended level is 0.6 ppm.
The Occupational Health and Safety Administration
(OSHA) has limited workers' exposure to an average of 50 ppm
in workplace air for an 8-hour workday, 40-hour workweek.
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Glossary |
Carcinogenicity: Ability to cause cancer.
CAS: Chemical Abstracts Service.
Leach: To be removed or washed away by
water.
Solvent: A substance that dissolves another
substance.
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References |
Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease
Registry (ATSDR). 1992. Toxicological Profile for 1,2,3-trichloropropane. Atlanta, GA: U.S.
Department of Health and Human Services, Public Health Service.
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Where can I get more information? |
ATSDR can tell you where to find occupational
and environmental health clinics. Their specialists can recognize,
evaluate, and treat illnesses resulting from exposure to hazardous
substances. You can also contact your community or state health
or environmental quality department if you have any more questions
or concerns. For more information, contact:
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Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry
Division of Toxicology
1600 Clifton Road NE, Mailstop F-32
Atlanta, GA 30333
Phone: 1-888-42-ATSDR (1-888-422-8737)
FAX: (770)-488-4178
Email: ATSDRIC@cdc.gov
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