Also known as: Tetrachloroethylene. CAS Number: 127-18-4. A
colorless, nonflammable liquid used often as a solvent in dry
cleaning and for removal of grease from metals. Chemical formula
= C2Cl4. Molecular weight = 165.83 g/mol.
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Perchloroethylene is widely used for dry-cleaning fabrics and
metal degreasing operations. The main effects of
tetrachloroethylene in humans are neurological, liver, and kidney
effects following acute (short-term) and chronic (long-term)
inhalation exposure. Adverse reproductive effects, such as
spontaneous abortions, have been reported from occupational
exposure to tetrachloroethylene; however, no definite conclusions
can be made because of the limitations of the studies. Results
from epidemiological studies of dry-cleaners occupationally
exposed to tetrachloroethylene suggest increased risks for
several types of cancer. Animal studies have reported an
increased incidence of liver cancer in mice, via inhalation and
gavage (experimentally placing the chemical in the stomach), and
kidney and mononuclear cell leukemia in rats. In the mid-1980s,
EPA considered the epidemiological and animal evidence on
tetrachloroethylene as intermediate between a probable and
possible human carcinogen (Group B/C). The Agency is currently
reassessing its potential carcinogenicity.