IRIS Toxicological Review of Chloroform (Inhalation) (External Review Draft)
In December 2024, EPA publicly released the draft chloroform assessment for review and comment. The IRIS Toxicological Review of Chloroform provides the scientific support and rationale for the hazard and dose-response assessment of exposure to chloroform. Following public comment, the assessment will undergo an independent external scientific peer review managed by EPA’s Science Advisory Board (SAB).
Chloroform (trichloromethane) is a colorless, volatile liquid with a distinct odor. Chloroform is nonflammable. It is slightly soluble in water and is readily miscible with most organic solvents. Because chloroform is relatively volatile, it tends to escape from contaminated environmental media (e.g., water or soil) into air, and may also be released in vapor form from some types of industrial or chemical operations. Therefore, humans may be exposed to chloroform not only by ingestion of chloroform in drinking water, food, or soil, but also by inhalation of vapor (especially in indoor air) and dermal contact with contaminated media (especially water).
Chloroform (trichloromethane) is a colorless, volatile liquid with a distinct odor. Chloroform is nonflammable. It is slightly soluble in water and is readily miscible with most organic solvents. Because chloroform is relatively volatile, it tends to escape from contaminated environmental media (e.g., water or soil) into air, and may also be released in vapor form from some types of industrial or chemical operations. Therefore, humans may be exposed to chloroform not only by ingestion of chloroform in drinking water, food, or soil, but also by inhalation of vapor (especially in indoor air) and dermal contact with contaminated media (especially water).
Impact/Purpose
EPA is undertaking development of the Integrated Risk Information System (IRIS) human health assessment for Chloroform (Inhalation). The outcome of this project is an IRIS Toxicological Review and Executive Summary for Chloroform (Inhalation) that will be entered into the IRIS database.Citation
U.S. EPA. IRIS Toxicological Review of Chloroform (Inhalation) (External Review Draft). U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, DC, EPA/635/R-24/222, 2024.History/Chronology
| Date | Description |
|---|---|
| 01- Sep 1984 | EPA released the Health Effects Assessment for Chloroform. |
| 02- Apr 1988 | EPA released the Updated Health Effects Assessment for Chloroform. |
| 03- Oct 2001 | EPA released the final toxicological report and summary document and posted these to the IRIS database. |
| 04- Sep 2017 | EPA released the IRIS Assessment Plan (IAP) for Chloroform for public comment and review. [Federal Register Notice Sep 18, 2017] |
| 05- Sep 2017 | EPA Science Advisory Board (SAB) Chemical Assessment Advisory Committee (CAAC) discussed the draft document at a public meeting on September 27-28, 2017. |
| 06- Jan 2018 | EPA released the Systematic Review Protocol for the IRIS Chloroform Assessment (Inhalation) (Preliminary Assessment Materials). [Federal Register Notice Jan 31, 2018] |
| 07- Mar 2024 | EPA sent an interagency science consultation chloroform draft for review and comment. |
| 08- Dec 2024 | EPA released an update to the IRIS Chloroform (inhalation) protocol. |
| 09- Dec 2024 | EPA released the draft IRIS Toxicological Review of Chloroform (External Review Draft) for public comment and subsequent external peer review by EPA’s Science Advisory Board (SAB). Also, the EPA-led Interagency Science Consultation draft comments were posted. [Federal Register Notice Dec 18, 2024] |
Download(s)
- IRIS Toxicological Review of Chloroform (Inhalation) (Public Comment and External Review Draft) (PDF) (298 pp, 8.4 MB, about PDF)
- IRIS Toxicological Review of Chloroform (Inhalation) Supplemental Information (Public Comment and External Review Draft) (PDF) (221 pp, 4.7 MB, about PDF)
- Draft External Peer Review Charge Questions for the IRIS Toxicological Review of Chloroform (Inhalation) (PDF) (8 pp, 284.2 KB, about PDF)
- An Update to the Systematic Review Protocol for the IRIS Toxicological Review of Chloroform (Inhalation) (Dec 2024) (PDF) (151 pp, 2.0 MB, about PDF)
Related Link(s)
- HEALTH EFFECTS ASSESSMENT FOR CHLOROFORM
- UPDATED HEALTH EFFECTS ASSESSMENT FOR CHLOROFORM
- IRIS TOXICOLOGICAL REVIEW OF CHLOROFORM (FINAL REPORT, 2001)
- IRIS ASSESSMENT PLAN FOR CHLOROFORM (SCOPING AND PROBLEM FORMULATION MATERIALS)
- SYSTEMATIC REVIEW PROTOCOL FOR THE IRIS CHLOROFORM ASSESSMENT (INHALATION) (PRELIMINARY ASSESSMENT MATERIALS) (REPORT)