IRIS Toxicological Review of Carbon Tetrachloride (Final Report)
EPA has finalized the Toxicological Review of Carbon Tetrachloride: in support of the Integrated Risk Information System (IRIS). Now final, this assessment may be used by EPA’s program and regional offices to inform decisions to protect human health.
Carbon tetrachloride has been used as a dry-cleaning agent, fabric-spotting fluid, solvent, reagent in chemical synthesis, fire extinguisher fluid, and grain fumigant, but its primary use was in chlorofluorocarbon (CFC) production. Production of this chemical peaked in the early 1970s; annual production has generally declined since the mid-1970s. The Consumer Product Safety Commission banned the use of carbon tetrachloride in consumer products in the 1970s. Decline in the use of carbon tetrachloride also accompanied EPA’s increased regulation of the use of CFCs in propellants, and the Montreal Protocol, which was implemented in the U.S. via Title VI of the Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990 and that called for a ban (with certain exemptions) on production and import of carbon tetrachloride.
Carbon tetrachloride has been used as a dry-cleaning agent, fabric-spotting fluid, solvent, reagent in chemical synthesis, fire extinguisher fluid, and grain fumigant, but its primary use was in chlorofluorocarbon (CFC) production. Production of this chemical peaked in the early 1970s; annual production has generally declined since the mid-1970s. The Consumer Product Safety Commission banned the use of carbon tetrachloride in consumer products in the 1970s. Decline in the use of carbon tetrachloride also accompanied EPA’s increased regulation of the use of CFCs in propellants, and the Montreal Protocol, which was implemented in the U.S. via Title VI of the Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990 and that called for a ban (with certain exemptions) on production and import of carbon tetrachloride.
Impact/Purpose
Carbon tetrachloride has been used as a dry-cleaning agent, fabric-spotting fluid, solvent, reagent in chemical synthesis, fire extinguisher fluid, and grain fumigant, but its primary use was in chlorofluorocarbon (CFC) production.
Citation
U.S. EPA. IRIS Toxicological Review of Carbon Tetrachloride (Final Report). U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, DC, EPA/635/R-08/005F, 2010.
History/Chronology
| Date | Description |
|---|---|
| 1987 | EPA posts the carbon tetrachloride IRIS assessment on the IRIS database (RfD and cancer assessment). |
| May 2008 | EPA released the external review draft for public comment. [Federal Register Notice May 21, 2008] |
| Nov 2009 | EPA hosted an interagency science discussion on the review of the draft Toxicological Review of Carbon Tetrachloride. |
| Mar 2010 | EPA released the Toxicological Review and IRIS Summary for Carbon Tetrachloride and the interagency review draft with interagency review comments. |
This document has been reviewed in accordance with U.S. Environmental Protection Agency policy and approved for publication. Mention of trade names or commercial products does not constitute endorsement or recommendation for use.
- IRIS Toxicological Review of Carbon Tetrachloride (PDF) (473 pp, 4 MB, about PDF)
- IRIS Summary of Carbon Tetrachloride (PDF) (42 pp, 309 KB, about PDF)