Carbon tetrachloride is a solvent used primarily as a feedstock in the production of hydrochlorofluorocarbons, hydrofluorocarbons and hydrofluoroolefins and in the manufacturing of other chlorinated compounds and petrochemicals. The Montreal Protocol and Title VI of the Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990 called for a complete phase-out of carbon tetrachloride production for non‑feedstock uses by 2000. The Consumer Product Safety Commission banned the use of carbon tetrachloride in consumer products (excluding unavoidable residues not exceeding 10 parts per million atmospheric concentration) in 1970. EPA has identified several other solvent uses of carbon tetrachloride such as degreasing and cleaning, adhesives, sealants, paints, coatings, rubber, cement and asphalt formulations.

On this page:

• Problem Formulation for carbon tetrachloride risk evaluation under amended TSCA
• Scope of carbon tetrachloride risk evaluation under amended TSCA

Problem Formulation for Carbon Tetrachloride Risk Evaluation under Amended TSCA

• CASRN: 56-23-5
• Initiated: December 19, 2016
• Docket: EPA-HQ-OPPT-2016-0733

This problem formulation refines the scope of the carbon tetrachloride risk evaluation by clarifying the chemical uses that EPA expects to evaluate and describing how EPA expects to conduct the evaluation. This is an important interim step prior to completing and publishing the final risk evaluation. The problem formulation document will be available for comment until August 16, 2018 in the docket listed above.

• Read the problem formulation for carbon tetrachloride under amended TSCA

Scope of Carbon Tetrachloride Risk Evaluation under Amended TSCA

This scope document includes the hazards, exposures, conditions of use, and the potentially exposed or susceptible subpopulations EPA expects to consider in its risk evaluation of carbon tetrachloride conducted pursuant to TSCA Section 6(b)(4). 

• Read the scope document for carbon tetrachloride under amended TSCA
• View the supplemental files for the carbon tetrachloride scope document:
  • Strategy for Conducting Literature Searches for Carbon Tetrachloride: Supplemental File for the TSCA Scope Document
  • Carbon Tetrachloride  (56-23-5) Bibliography: Supplemental File for the TSCA Scope Document

After releasing the scope documents, the dockets for each of the first 10 chemicals were open for public comments. Read EPA’s Responses to Public Comments Received on the Scope Documents for the First Ten Chemicals for Risk Evaluation under TSCA. This document addresses cross-cutting public comments received in response to EPA publishing the scope documents.