At a glance
| Chemical family | A chlorinated volatile organic solvent (a chlorinated VOC); sibling to methylene chloride |
| CAS number | 79-01-6 |
| Classification | IARC Group 1 — carcinogenic to humans (kidney cancer; some evidence for liver cancer and non-Hodgkin lymphoma). U.S. DHHS "known human carcinogen"; EPA carcinogenic by all routes |
| Where you encounter it | Metal-degreasing solvent and chemical feedstock; in homes, primarily as vapor intrusion from contaminated soil and groundwater, plus older degreasers/spot removers |
| Sleep micro-environment relevance | Where a home sits on or near contaminated ground, TCE vapor rises through the foundation into indoor air, including bedrooms; not a mattress or foam emission |
| Activated carbon capture | TCE vapor is adsorbable, but the documented engineered fix is sub-slab depressurization (as with radon) |
What it is
Trichloroethylene is a colorless, volatile chlorinated solvent with a faintly sweet odor. Its main industrial job is degreasing metal parts; it is also a feedstock for making other chemicals, including the refrigerant HFC-134a. Regulatory — ATSDR ToxFAQs, TCE Historically it had a much wider footprint — it was once used as a surgical anesthetic and as an extraction solvent — but those uses are long gone, and it is a sibling of the other chlorinated solvents in this Atlas, closest to methylene chloride.
What sets TCE apart here is not its chemistry but its route into the home. It is not something your bed gives off; it is something the ground can.
How it relates to the bedroom
Vapor intrusion: the pathway from the ground up
TCE is one of the most common contaminants of soil and groundwater in the industrialised world — it has been detected at 1,051 of 1,854 EPA National Priorities List (Superfund) sites. Regulatory — ATSDR ToxFAQs, TCE Because it is volatile, TCE dissolved in groundwater or held in soil evaporates and migrates upward through the ground. When it reaches a building, the small pressure differences between soil and indoor air draw the vapor in through foundation cracks, gaps around utility penetrations and unsealed slabs — the very same physics that pulls radon into basements. This is vapor intrusion, and it can deliver a soil contaminant directly into the air of the rooms above, bedrooms included.
This is not theoretical. In a study of homes above a TCE groundwater plume, indoor-air and soil-gas TCE were significantly associated with the TCE measured in residents' blood; people living in homes with indoor TCE above roughly 1.6 µg/m³ had blood concentrations about fifty times higher than residents of homes with none detectable. Peer-reviewed — Archer et al. 2015 Indoor levels are not steady, either: they rise and fall with barometric pressure, season and foundation type, which is exactly why a single spot measurement can mislead. Inferred — vapor-intrusion concentrations vary with weather and building factors, as documented across the vapor-intrusion literature
A genuine carcinogen — in proportion to dose
TCE is not a borderline case. There is strong human evidence that it causes kidney cancer, with more limited evidence pointing to liver cancer and non-Hodgkin lymphoma; on that basis IARC places it in Group 1, carcinogenic to humans, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services lists it as a known human carcinogen, and the EPA characterizes it as carcinogenic by all routes of exposure. Peer-reviewed — IARC Monograph 106 Beyond cancer, it has documented effects on the nervous system (headaches, dizziness, drowsiness at higher levels), the liver and kidneys, the immune system — including a link to the autoimmune disease scleroderma — and the developing heart. Regulatory — ATSDR ToxFAQs, TCE
The calibration that matters is dose and duration. The serious outcomes are tied to meaningful, often sustained exposure — living for years above a contaminated plume, or occupational degreasing — and regulators have set unusually low indoor-air screening levels for TCE partly out of caution about fetal cardiac effects. For a home with no nearby contamination source, ambient indoor TCE is typically low. The point is not alarm; it is knowing whether your address has a reason for concern. Inferred — risk scales with exposure; the concern is site-specific
What the research says
- IARC Group 1 — kidney cancer. Sufficient human evidence; mutagenic mechanism; some evidence for liver cancer and non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Peer-reviewed — IARC Monograph 106
- Vapor intrusion produces real residential exposure. Indoor-air TCE tracks with residents' blood levels — ~50× higher in affected homes. Peer-reviewed — Archer et al. 2015
- Widespread ground contaminant. Found at more than half of EPA Superfund sites; persists in groundwater. Regulatory — ATSDR ToxFAQs, TCE
- Non-cancer hazards too. CNS, liver, kidney, immune (scleroderma) and developmental-cardiac effects. Regulatory — ATSDR ToxFAQs, TCE
What helps reduce it
Know your address. If you are on or near a Superfund, former industrial or dry-cleaning site, indoor-air or sub-slab testing tells you whether vapor intrusion is occurring. Regulatory — ATSDR ToxFAQs, TCE
Sub-slab depressurization is the engineered fix. The same mitigation used for radon — a fan and vent pipe that draws soil gas away before it enters — is the documented remedy for vapor intrusion. Inferred — vapor-intrusion mitigation mirrors radon mitigation
Ventilate, and clear out old products. Increasing air exchange lowers indoor concentrations, and any legacy TCE-containing degreasers or spot removers should be removed from the home. Regulatory — ATSDR ToxFAQs, TCE
What does NOT help
- Buying a "low-VOC" mattress. TCE does not come from the bed; mattress choice has no bearing on a vapor-intrusion source. Inferred
- Laundering or surface cleaning. TCE is a vapor from below, not a surface residue, so cleaning bedding does nothing for it. Inferred
Open research questions
- How much the temporal swings in vapor-intrusion concentration change long-term health risk versus a single measured value. Speculation
- The degree to which the contested developmental-cardiac findings should drive residential screening levels. Speculation
Citations
- IARC Monographs Volume 106 (2014): Trichloroethylene, Tetrachloroethylene, and Some Other Chlorinated Agents. TCE classified Group 1 (carcinogenic to humans) on sufficient human evidence for kidney cancer; limited evidence for liver cancer and non-Hodgkin lymphoma. IARC / NCBI Bookshelf Peer-reviewed
- Archer NP, et al. (2015). Relationship between vapor intrusion and human exposure to trichloroethylene. J. Environ. Sci. Health Part A. Indoor-air/soil-gas TCE significantly associated with residents' blood TCE; ~50× higher blood levels in homes with detectable indoor TCE. Via Consensus. Reference record Peer-reviewed
- ATSDR Toxicological Profile / ToxFAQs for Trichloroethylene (CAS 79-01-6), 2019/2020. Strong evidence for kidney cancer; DHHS known human carcinogen; EPA carcinogenic by all routes; found at 1,051/1,854 Superfund sites; EPA drinking-water MCL 0.005 mg/L. ATSDR Regulatory
Frequently asked questions
Is trichloroethylene in my mattress?
Almost certainly not. Unlike most entries in this Atlas, TCE is not a foam or textile emission. It is a chlorinated industrial solvent — a metal degreaser — and the way it reaches a bedroom is from the ground beneath the house, not the bed. Where TCE has contaminated soil or groundwater under or near a home, it evaporates and rises through the foundation into indoor air, a process called vapor intrusion. If you do not live on or near a contaminated site, your exposure is typically very low.
How does vapor intrusion work?
TCE dissolved in groundwater or soil gas is volatile, so it evaporates and migrates upward through soil. When it reaches a building, small pressure differences between the soil and the indoor air draw the vapor in through cracks, gaps around pipes, and unsealed slabs — the same physics that pulls radon indoors. Indoor levels rise and fall with barometric pressure, season, and foundation type, and studies have measured residents' blood TCE rising in step with indoor-air levels.
How dangerous is TCE?
It is a genuine, well-established human carcinogen — not a borderline case. There is strong human evidence that TCE causes kidney cancer, with some evidence for liver cancer and non-Hodgkin lymphoma; the U.S. government lists it as a known human carcinogen and IARC places it in Group 1. It also has non-cancer effects on the nervous system, liver, immune system and the developing heart. That said, the dose matters enormously: the serious risk is tied to meaningful, often prolonged exposure, such as living above a contaminated plume or occupational degreasing work.
What should I do about it?
If you have reason to think your home sits on or near a contaminated site — for example, a nearby Superfund or former industrial/dry-cleaning property — you can have indoor air tested and, if needed, install a sub-slab depressurization system, the same engineered mitigation used for radon, which is the documented fix for vapor intrusion. Improving ventilation helps, and any old TCE-containing degreasers or spot removers in the home should be removed. For a typical home with no nearby source, no special action is warranted.
Related compounds
Embr is a sleep environment company researching and addressing the chemistry of the bedroom. Research and product development in progress.
Last reviewed 2026-06-27. If you find a factual error, contact us.