Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry 
Case Studies in Environmental Medicine (CSEM) 

Trichloroethylene Toxicity
Posttest

Introduction

ATSDR seeks feedback on this course so we can assess its usefulness and effectiveness. We ask you to complete the assessment questionnaire online for this purpose.

In addition, if you complete the Assessment and Posttest online, you can receive continuing education credits as follows:

Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME)

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) to provide continuing medical education for physicians. CDC designates this educational activity for a maximum of 1.5 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)™. Physicians should only claim credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC), Commission on Accreditation

This activity for 1.5 contact hours is provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which is accredited as a provider of continuing education in nursing by the American Nurses Credentialing Center's Commission on Accreditation.

National Commission for Health Education Credentialing, Inc. (NCHEC)

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is a designated provider of continuing education contact hours (CECH) in health education by the National Commission for Health Education Credentialing, Inc. This program is a designated event for the Certified Health Education Specialist (CHES) to receive 1.5 Category I contact hours in health education, CDC provider number GA0082.

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The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has been reviewed and approved as an Authorized Provider by the International Association for Continuing Education and Training (IACET), Suite 800, McLean, VA 22102. CDC will award 0.1 of CEU's to participants who successfully complete this program.

Disclaimer

In compliance with continuing education requirements, all presenters must disclose any financial or other relationships with the manufacturers of commercial products, suppliers of commercial services, or commercial supporters as well as any use of unlabeled product(s) or product(s) under investigational use.

CDC/ATSDR, our planners, and the presenters for this seminar do not have financial or other relationships with the manufacturers of commercial products, suppliers of commercial services or commercial supporters. This presentation does not involve the unlabeled use of a product or product under investigational use.

Online Instructions

To complete the Assessment and Posttest, go to http://www2.cdc.gov/atsdrce/ and follow the instructions on that page. You can immediately print your continuing education certificate from your personal transcript online. No fees are charged.

Posttest

1. Which of the following products contain trichloroethylene?
   1. anesthetic
   2. grain fumigant
   3. spot remover
   4. disinfectant
2. People can be exposed to trichloroethylene from
   1. environmental sources
   2. consumer products
   3. occupational sources
   4. all of the above
3. The common sources of non-occupational exposure to TCE are
   1. discharge to surface waters and groundwater by industry
   2. leaching from hazardous water landfills into groundwater
   3. continual volatilization of TCE from emission sources
   4. all of the above
4. Which of the following persons have an increased likelihood of trichloroethylene exposure?
   1. race-car drivers
   2. fabric cleaners
   3. pharmacists
   4. tree sprayers
5. NIOSH considers trichloroethylene a potential occupational carcinogen and recommends exposure limit of which as a 10-hour TWA
   1. 25 ppm
   2. 100 ppm
   3. 50 ppm
   4. none of the above
6. Which of the following statements about trichloroethylene is true?
   1. A large amount of absorbed TCE is exhaled unchanged
   2. Once absorbed, TCE is slowly cleared from the blood.
   3. most of an absorbed dose is metabolized in the liver
   4. Trichloroacetic acid is only detectable within 72 hours after TCE exposure.
7. Which of the following statements is not correctly described with regards to TCE metabolism?
   1. TCE accumulation occurs in organs containing high levels of adipose tissue
   2. Humans are uniform in their capacity for metabolism of TCE
   3. The pathways for metabolism of TCE in humans, rats, and mice are qualitatively similar
   4. Humans metabolize much less TCE on a body weight basis than rats or mice at similar exposure levels
8. Common clinical effects associated with acute exposure to pure TCE at concentrations > 2,000 ppm include
   1. CNS depression
   2. nausea
   3. upper respiratory tract and eye irritation
   4. all of the above
9. Chronic exposure to TCE might
   1. cause headaches or drowsiness
   2. mildly alter liver function
   3. cause short-term memory deficits
   4. all of the above
10. The main systemic response to TCE exposure is
    1. respiratory depression
    2. CNS depression
    3. gastrointestinal irritation
    4. skin irritation
11. Laboratory tests to confirm TCE exposure include
    1. breath analysis for trichloroacetic acid
    2. cardiac isoenzymes
    3. blood analysis for trichloroethanol
    4. urinary creatinine
12. Treatment for acute inhalation of TCE might include
    1. oxygen
    2. hemodialysis
    3. emesis
    4. milk of magnesia

Relevant Content

To review content relevant to the posttest questions, see:

What is trichloroethylene?

Where is trichloroethylene found?

How are people exposed to trichloroethylene?

Who’s at risk of trichloroethylene exposure?

What Are the U.S. Standards for trichloroethylene exposure?

What is the biologic fate of trichloroethylene in the body?

What is the biologic fate of trichloroethylene in the body?

What are the physiological effects of trichloroethylene?

What are the physiological effects of trichloroethylene?

How should patients exposed to trichloroethylene be evaluated?

What laboratory tests can assist in the evaluation of patients exposed to trichloroethylene?

How should patients exposed to trichloroethylene be treated and manage?