OPPT Chemical Fact Sheet                                EPA 749-F-94-010  <H3>       CHEMICALS IN THE ENVIRONMENT: CHLORINE (CAS NO. 7782-50-5)<BR>                           prepared by<BR>            OFFICE OF POLLUTION PREVENTION AND TOXICS<BR>               U.S. ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY<BR>                           August 1994<P> </H3> <HR>  Chemicals can be released to the environment as a result of their manufacture, processing, and use.  EPA has developed information summaries on selected chemicals to describe how you might be exposed to  these chemicals, how exposure to them might affect you and the environ- ment, what happens to them in the environment, who regulates them, and  whom to contact for additional information.  EPA is committed to reducing  environmental releases of chemicals through source reduction and other  practices that reduce creation of pollutants.</p>

<HR>  <H3>WHAT IS CHLORINE, HOW IS IT USED, AND HOW MIGHT I BE EXPOSED?</H3><BR>       Chlorine is a highly reactive gas.  It is a naturally occurring element.  Chlorine is produced in very large amounts (23 billion pounds in 1992) by eighteen companies in the United States.  US demand for chlorine is expected to increase slightly over the next several years and then decline.  The expected decline in US demand is due to environmental concerns for chlorinated organic chemicals.  The largest users of chlorine are companies that make ethylene dichloride and other chlorinated solvents, polyvinyl chloride (PVC) resins, chlorofluorocarbons, and propylene oxide.  Paper companies use chlorine to bleach paper.  Water and wastewater treatment plants use chlorine to reduce water levels of microorganisms that can spread disease to humans.</p>

       Exposure to chlorine can occur in the workplace or in the environment following releases to air, water, or land.  People who use laundry bleach and swimming pool chemicals containing chlorine products are usually not exposed to chlorine itself.  Chlorine is generally found only in industrial settings.  Chlorine enters the body breathed in with contaminated air or when consumed with contaminated food or water.  It does not remain in the body due to its reactivity.</p>

 <H3>WHAT HAPPENS TO CHLORINE IN THE ENVIRONMENT?</H3><BR>       Chlorine dissolves when mixed with water.  It can also escape from water and enter air under certain conditions.  Most direct releases of chlorine to the environment are to air and to surface water.  Once in air or in water, chlorine reacts with other chemicals.  It combines with inorganic material in water to form chloride salts.  It combines with organic material in water to form chlorinated organic chemicals.  Because of its reactivity chlorine is not likely to move through the ground and enter groundwater.  Plants and animals are not likely to store chlorine.</p>

  <H3>HOW DOES CHLORINE AFFECT HUMAN HEALTH AND THE ENVIRONMENT?</H3><BR>       Effects of chlorine on human health and the environment depend on how much chlorine is present and the length and frequency of exposure.  Effects also depend on the health of a person or condition of the environment when exposure occurs.</p>

       Breathing small amounts of chlorine for short periods of time adversely affects the human respiratory system.  Effects range from coughing and chest pain to water retention in the lungs.  Chlorine irritates the skin, the eyes, and the respiratory system.  These effects are not likely to occur at levels of chlorine that are normally found in the environment.</p>

       Human health effects associated with breathing or otherwise consuming small amounts of chlorine over long periods of time are not known.  They are currently under investigation.  Some studies show that workers develop adverse effects from repeat inhalation exposure to chlorine, but others do not.  Laboratory studies show that repeat exposure to chlorine in air can adversely affect the immune system, the blood, the heart, and the respiratory system of animals.</p>

       Chlorine causes environmental harm at low levels.  Chlorine is especially harmful to organisms living in water and in soil.</p>

   <H3>WHAT EPA PROGRAM OFFICES REGULATE CHLORINE, AND UNDER WHAT LAWS IS IT REGULATED?<BR> </H3> <pre>   
EPA OFFICE            LAW                                PHONE NUMBER __________________________________________________________________________   Pollution Prevention  
Toxic Substances Control Act     (202) 554-1404    
& Toxics             
Emergency Planning and Community                          
 Right-to-Know Act (EPCRA)                           
Regulations (Sec. 313)           (800) 535-0202                           
Toxics Release Inventory data    (202) 260-1531   
Air                   
Clean Air Act                    (919) 541-0888   
Solid Waste &         
Comprehensive Environmental    
Emergency Response    
Response, Compensation, and                          
Liability Act (Superfund)/                        
Resource Conservation and Recovery                         
 Act / EPCRA (Sec. 304/311/312)    (800) 535-0202   
Water                 
Clean Water Act                   (202) 260-7588  
A technical support document can be requested from the TSCA Assistance Information Service, (202) 554-1404. </x> 

<H3>WHAT OTHER FEDERAL AGENCIES OR GROUPS CAN I CONTACT FOR INFORMATION ON CHLORINE? </H3><BR> <pre>  
 AGENCY/GROUP                                              PHONE NUMBER __________________________________________________________________________   
Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry       (404) 639-6000   
American Conference of Governmental Industrial     Hygienists                                             (513) 742-2020   
Consumer Product Safety Commission                     (301) 504-0994   
Food and Drug Administration                           (301) 443-3170   
National Institute for Environmental Health Sciences    
(EnviroHealth Clearinghouse)                           (800) 643-4794   
National Institute for Occupational Safety    
and Health (NIOSH)                                     (800) 356-4674   
Occupational Safety and Health Administration     
(Check your local phone book under U.S. Department of Labor) </x>