1.1 What is 1,2,3-trichloropropane? |
1.2 How might I be exposed to 1,2,3-trichloropropane? |
1.3 How can 1,2,3-trichloropropane enter
and leave my body? |
1.4 How can 1,2,3-trichloropropane affect
my health? |
1.5 Is there a medical test to determine
whether I have been exposed to 1,2,3-trichloropropane? |
1.6 What recommendations has the federal
government made to protect human health? |
1.7 Where can I get more information? |
References |
|
|
|
September 1992 |
Public Health Statement |
for |
1,2,3-Trichloropropane |
|
|
|
This Public Health Statement is the
summary chapter from the Toxicological
Profile for 1,2,3-trichloropropane. It is one in a series
of Public Health Statements about hazardous substances and
their health effects. A shorter version, the ToxFAQs™,
is also available. 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. For more information, call the ATSDR Information
Center at 1-888-422-8737.
|
|
|
This Statement was prepared to give you
information about 1,2,3-trichloropropane and to emphasize
the human health effects that may result from exposure to
it. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has identified
1,300 National Priorities List (NPL) sites. 1,2,3-Trichloropropane
has been found at 8 of these sites. However, we do not know
how many of the 1,300 NPL sites have been evaluated for 1,2,3-trichloropropane.
As EPA evaluates more sites, the number of sites at which
1,2,3-trichloropropane is found may change. The information
is important for you because 1,2,3-trichloropropane may cause
harmful health effects and because these sites are potential
or actual sources of human exposure to 1,2,3-trichloropropane.
When a chemical is released from a large
area such as an industrial plant, or from a container such
as a drum or bottle, it enters the environment as a chemical
emission. This emission, which is also called a release, does
not always lead to exposure. You can be exposed to a chemical
only when you come into contact with the chemical. You may
be exposed to it in the environment by breathing, eating,
or drinking substances containing the chemical, or from skin
contact with it.
If you are exposed to a hazardous substance
such as 1,2,3-trichloropropane, several factors will determine
whether harmful health effects will occur and what the type
and severity of those health effects will be. These factors
include the dose (how much), the duration (how long), the
route or pathway by which you are exposed (breathing, eating,
drinking, or skin contact), the other chemicals to which you
are exposed, and your individual characteristics such as age,
sex, nutritional status, family traits, life style, and state
of health.
|
|
1.1
What is 1,2,3-trichloropropane? |
1,2,3-Trichloropropane is a colorless,
heavy liquid with a sweet but strong odor. It evaporates almost
as fast as water does at normal temperatures. Small amounts
of 1,2,3-trichloropropane will dissolve in water. 1,2,3-Trichloropropane
can dissolve several substances, such as oils and waxes, the
way water dissolves salt. For this reason, it has been and
may continue to be used as an industrial solvent, paint remover,
and cleaner. We do not know exactly how much of it is made
or used now, but it may be a large amount. Most of the 1,2,3-trichloropropane
is used to make other substances.
In sunlight, 1,2,3-trichloropropane in
the air will break down. Most of the 1,2,3-trichloropropane
that is released to the air will disappear in a month. In
water, half of it will evaporate into the air within hours
or several days. Very little of it will stick to the soil
at the bottom of rivers, lakes, or ponds, and very little
of it will be expected to concentrate in fish or other seafoods.
1,2,3-Trichloropropane will not stick to soil. If it is spilled
on to most soils, some will evaporate and some will travel
through the soil into the groundwater, where it may stay for
a long time. It may slowly change to a simpler form in water
and soil by natural biological and chemical processes.
|
back to top |
|
1.2
How might I be exposed to 1,2,3-trichloropropane? |
If you live near a hazardous waste disposal
site in which 1,2,3-trichloropropane is not stored properly,
you could be exposed to 1,2,3-trichloropropane from breathing
air or drinking water. Because 1,2,3-trichloropropane easily
changes into a vapor, you are more likely to be exposed from
breathing air than from drinking water. A child playing in
this waste disposal site could be exposed by drinking liquids
containing 1,2,3-trichloropropane, by eating soil coated with
1,2,3-trichloropropane, or getting this soil or liquid on
his or her skin.
You could be exposed to 1,2,3-trichloropropane
in other ways that have nothing to do with hazardous waste
sites. For example, you may be exposed to higher levels of
1,2,3-trichloropropane if you are using paint- and varnish-removers
that contain it; however, some of these products may no longer
contain this chemical. If you breathe air near an accidental
spill of 1,2,3-trichloropropane, you can be exposed to higher
levels of the chemical. Exposure in the workplace may result
from spills or other accidents or from normal operations in
the workplace.
1,2,3-Trichloropropane is not common
in the environment (air, water, and soil), but it has been
found in a few rivers, bays, drinking water, groundwater,
and hazardous waste sites at low levels. This is because 1,2,3-trichloropropane
can enter the environment while it is being made, where it
is used to make or to dissolve other substances, or where
it is released in the waste that is made during these processes.
Although 1,2,3-trichloropropane is usually not found in the
environment, disposal at hazardous waste sites in the past,
or release during spills and accidents have led to higher
levels in nearby water, soil, and groundwater. Although we
do not know exactly how much 1,2,3-trichloropropane the general
public or workers are exposed to, the information that we
have shows that the levels are probably low and exposure probably
does not occur often.
|
back to top |
|
1.3
How can 1,2,3-trichloropropane enter and leave my body? |
If you were to drink water containing
1,2,3-trichloropropane, most of the chemical would pass into
your body from your stomach and intestines within the same
day. 1,2,3-Trichloropropane would also pass into your body
from your lungs if you were to breathe in air containing it
or from your skin if you were to touch it. However, we do
not know how quickly or completely 1,2,3-trichloropropane
passes into your body from your lungs or skin. 1,2,3-Trichloropropane
that enters your body leaves your body almost completely within
a few days in your breath, urine, and feces.
|
back to top |
|
1.4
How can 1,2,3-trichloropropane affect my health? |
Some people who breathed air containing
high levels of 1,2,3-trichloropropane for several minutes
had eye and throat irritation. These levels of 1,2,3-trichloropropane
are likely to be much higher than levels usually found in
outdoor air, including air at hazardous waste sites. We do
not know what effects might occur in people who breathe 1,2,3-trichloropropane
for days, weeks, or longer durations. We also do not know
the possible effects of 1,2,3-trichloropropane in people who
swallow 1,2,3-trichloropropane or get 1,2,3-trichloropropane
on their skin.
Animals that breathed air containing
1,2,3-trichloropropane at levels higher than those usually
found in the environment developed other health effects. Rats
and mice died after they breathed air containing high levels
of 1,2,3-trichloropropane for several hours, but we do not
know the exact cause of death. These levels of 1,2,3-trichloropropane
are several times higher than those that can cause eye and
throat irritation in humans. Rats that breathed 1,2,3-trichloropropane
for a few months at levels lower than those that affected
humans developed eye, nose, and lung irritation and liver
and kidney disease.
Rats and mice usually died from damage
to the liver and kidney within a few days after they swallowed
a large amount of 1,2,3-trichloropropane. Most rats and mice
that swallowed small amounts of 1,2,3-trichloropropane every
day for a few months also died from liver and kidney damage.
Rats that swallowed even smaller amounts of 1,2,3-trichloropropane
every day for a few months did not die but developed stomach
irritation, blood disorders, and minor liver and kidney damage.
Rabbits had severe skin irritation and
even injury to internal organs, including the liver, kidneys,
and stomach after 1,2,3-trichloropropane was applied to their
skin in large amounts for 1 day. These injuries can result
in death. 1,2,3-Trichloropropane also caused eye irritation
in rabbits and rats when it was applied to the eyes.
We do not know if exposure of animals
to very small amounts of 1,2,3-trichloropropane by breathing,
swallowing, or skin contact for many months or years leads
to serious disease or death. Rats that breathed low levels
of 1,2,3-trichloropropane for several weeks or swallowed large
amounts of 1,2,3-trichloropropane for a few days did not develop
fertility problems, but we do not know whether breathing high
levels of 1,2,3-trichloropropane or swallowing 1,2,3-trichloropropane
for more than a few days affects fertility in animals. 1,2,3-Trichloropropane
has not been found to cause birth defects when injected in
rats. We do not know whether 1,2,3-trichloropropane causes
cancer in humans, but animals that swallowed low doses of
1,2,3-trichloropropane for most of their lives developed cancer
in a number of organs.
|
back to top |
|
1.5
Is there a medical test to determine whether I have been exposed
to 1,2,3-trichloropropane? |
Scientists can measure 1,2,3-trichloropropane
in blood, urine, and breath, but there are no readily available
tests to determine whether you have been exposed. We do not
think these tests would be adequate to allow doctors to predict
harmful health effects.
|
back to top |
|
1.6
What recommendations has the federal government made to protect
human health? |
The federal government has a rule designed
to protect workers who may be exposed to 1,2,3-trichloropropane.
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) states
that workers may not be exposed to average levels of 1,2,3-trichloropropane
greater than 10 ppm in air during an 8-hour workday. The federal
government has no recommendations on environmental exposure
to 1,2,3-trichloropropane.
|
back to top |
|
1.7
Where can I get more information? |
If you have any more questions or concerns, please contact
your community or state health or environmental quality department or:
Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry
Division of Toxicology
1600 Clifton Road NE, Mailstop F-32
Atlanta, GA 30333
Information line and technical assistance:
Phone: 888-422-8737
FAX: (770)-488-4178
ATSDR can also tell you the location of occupational and environmental health
clinics. These clinics specialize in recognizing, evaluating, and treating illnesses
resulting from exposure to hazardous substances.
To order toxicological profiles, contact:
National Technical Information Service
5285 Port Royal Road
Springfield, VA 22161
Phone: 800-553-6847 or 703-605-6000
|
back to top |
|
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.
|
back to top |
|
|
|