What is Chloroform?
Chloroform is a colorless, sweetly scented liquid which is most well known for its historical use as an anesthetic, although it has since been abandoned due to safety concerns. Today, chloroform is used in a variety of industrial processes including the manufacture of chemicals, refrigerants, and solvents. It is produced by reacting chlorine with ethanol, and while relatively stable, it is also toxic and should be handled with care. Excessive exposure to chloroform can cause long term health damage to several major organs. The use of chloroform as an anesthetic dates from 1847, but almost immediately afterwards, concerns were raised about the health of patients who were chloroformed. In 1848, a patient died because her heart went into fibrillation while she was chloroformed, and continued use of the drug only cemented the link between chloroform and cardiac events. By the early twentieth century, chloroform had been abandoned in favor of safer and cheaper drugs, and today has been repl
Chloroform is a colorless liquid with a pleasant, nonirritating odor and a slightly sweet taste. It will burn only when it reaches very high temperatures. In the past, chloroform was used as an inhaled anesthetic during surgery, but it isn’t used that way today. Today, chloroform is used to make other chemicals and can also be formed in small amounts when chlorine is added to water. Other names for chloroform are trichloromethane and methyl trichloride.
This Public Health Statement is the summary chapter from the Toxicological Profile for chloroform. 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.
Chloroform is a chlorinated alkane (chlorinated aliphatic hydrocarbon compound containing single bonds), and is known by a variety of synonyms which include trichloromethane, methane trichloride, methyl trichloride, methenyl trichloride, trichloroform, and formyl trichloride. The molecular formula of chloroform is CHC13. Chloroform can be manufactured, or can occur naturally when a chlorine molecule (C12) reacts with an organic substance such as humic or fulvic acids.
Chloroform is a clear liquid with an ether-like odor and a slightly sweet taste. It is a naturally-occurring chemical, but most of the chloroform in the environment is man-made. Chloroform is a member of a group of chemicals called “trihalomethanes.” It is used to make coolants, as a fumigant for grain, and as a dry cleaning spot remover. Chloroform can be formed during the break-down of chlorine-containing compounds, and may be found in in small amounts in chlorinated drinking or swimming pool water. Chlorine treatment of drinking water is often necessary to prevent diseases that can be a major cause of illness. Chloroform evaporates quickly. Most of the chloroform that ends up in lakes, streams, or soil evaporates into the air. However, chloroform that seeps through soil into ground-water can remain unchanged for many years. HOW ARE PEOPLE EXPOSED TO CHLOROFORM? Breathing: People who work with chloroform are at a greater risk. People may also be exposed by inhaling the chemical as th
