Key Points

Fire

• Non flammable
• Reacts with strong oxidising and reducing agents and alkali metals
• Emits toxic fumes of hydrogen chloride, phosgene and dichloroacetylene gas in presence of light and moisture
• In the event of a fire involving trichloroethylene, use fine water spray and normal fire kit with breathing apparatus

Health

• Toxic by inhalation and ingestion
• Irritant and probably carcinogenic and mutagenic. Possible risk to the unborn child
• Symptoms following inhalation or ingestion include excitement, dizziness and headache followed by drowsiness and coma. Coughing or shortness of breath may also occur
• Ingestion causes a burning of the mouth and throat and stomach upset
• Skin contact causes irritation, burns and pain
• Eye contact may cause immediate burning and stinging
• Trichloroethylene is classified by the International Agency for Research on Cancer as probably carcinogenic to humans

Environment

• Harmful to aquatic organisms and may cause long-term adverse effects
• Inform Environment Agency of substantial incidents

All sections are available to download in PDF format below:

• Trichloroethylene - Full Document (PDF, 147 KB)
• General Information (PDF, 29 KB)
• Incident Managment (PDF, 60 KB)
• Toxicological Overview (PDF, 110 KB)