The short answer
Trichloroethylene (TCE) is an industrial degreasing solvent. It is a known human carcinogen linked to kidney cancer. Exposure is occupational or through contaminated water. Controls, alternatives, and water treatment reduce exposure.
Trichloroethylene is classified as a known human carcinogen (IARC Group 1).
People are mainly exposed by breathing vapors at work or through contaminated water near industrial sites.
It is most strongly linked to kidney cancer.
A carcinogen classification describes hazard — whether something can cause cancer — not your personal risk at a given exposure.
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The full explanation.
The simple version
Trichloroethylene, or TCE, is a solvent used to clean and degrease metal parts. Workers who breathe it have the most exposure. So do communities whose water is contaminated. TCE is a known cause of kidney cancer, and the EPA has moved to ban most uses of it.
What trichloroethylene is
Trichloroethylene is a colorless liquid. Industry uses it to degrease metal and to make other chemicals. It is a common groundwater contaminant near industrial and military sites. Unlike the related solvent perc, TCE sits in the strongest evidence category, Group 1, for kidney cancer.
In December 2024 the EPA issued a final rule prohibiting most uses of TCE. Some compliance dates have since been extended, and parts of the rule are under review.
How people are exposed
Common ways people come into contact with it:
- Working with metal degreasing or in chemical manufacturing.
- Drinking or bathing in TCE-contaminated water near some sites.
- Breathing vapors that rise from contaminated groundwater into buildings.
The cancer connection
TCE is a known cause of kidney cancer. NCI adds that some evidence suggests it may also raise the risk of non-Hodgkin lymphoma and, possibly, liver cancer.
The World Health Organization's cancer agency, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), places trichloroethylene in Group 1, carcinogenic to humans. That is the strongest evidence category. It means there is enough evidence that TCE can cause cancer in people. The US National Toxicology Program reaches the same conclusion, listing trichloroethylene as known to be a human carcinogen in its Report on Carcinogens.
Hazard is not the same as risk
Two ideas here are easy to mix up: hazard and risk. Listing TCE as a carcinogen is a statement about hazard. It says the solvent is capable of causing cancer under some conditions. It is not a statement about your personal risk. That depends on how much TCE you meet, for how long, and on other factors. A degreasing worker and someone living far from any TCE site share the same label and face very different risks. The label answers "can it cause cancer?" — not "how likely is it to cause cancer for me?"
How to lower your exposure
- Support cleanup and monitoring of contaminated groundwater sites.
- Use ventilation and protective equipment in industries that use TCE.
- Filter or switch water sources where contamination is found.
- Follow the EPA restrictions that now apply to most TCE uses.
Cutting your own contact with TCE is one piece of a much bigger picture. For the rest of that picture, read our overview of cancer prevention and what raises cancer risk.
The bottom line
Trichloroethylene is a known human carcinogen (IARC Group 1). The useful step is to learn where your own exposure could come from, then reduce it. A single label does not need to cost you sleep. Put your energy into the biggest risks you can actually control.
Words to know
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Common questions
Does trichloroethylene cause cancer?
Yes. Trichloroethylene is classified as a known human carcinogen, which means there is strong evidence it can cause cancer in people. How much any one person's risk rises depends on how much they are exposed to and for how long.
How are people exposed to trichloroethylene?
Most exposure happens by breathing vapors at work or through contaminated water near industrial sites.
Which cancers are linked to trichloroethylene?
It is most strongly linked to kidney cancer.
How can I reduce my exposure to trichloroethylene?
The main steps are workplace controls, water treatment, and site cleanup.
Does a carcinogen label mean I will get cancer?
No. A classification is about hazard — whether trichloroethylene can cause cancer under some conditions — not a prediction that any one exposed person will develop cancer. Your actual risk depends on the amount and length of exposure and other factors.
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Last updated: 2026-08-18Next planned review: 2028-07-05
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How this page was created
Cancer Explained does not originate medical claims. Every page restates guidance already published by the National Cancer Institute, the CDC, the USPSTF and the FDA, in plain language, with the source cited so you can check the original yourself. AI does the translating and organizing; automated checks test claims, citations, clarity and safety before anything publishes. We do not employ clinicians and do not intend to — our work is translation and navigation, not clinical judgment. Nothing here is personal medical advice, and no page can account for your particular situation.
Editorial status: Source checked — This page was written with AI assistance and checked line by line against the sources listed on it. That confirms the sources support what the page says. It is not a medical review, and it does not confirm the page is complete or right for your situation.
Human medical review: not completed. Pages here are not signed off by a clinician before they publish. That is not an oversight we are quietly working around: we restate published guidance and cite it, so the authority belongs to the source rather than to us, and every page names where its claims come from — you can verify us instead of trusting us. Where a volunteer clinician has reviewed a page, their name and credentials appear on it; where no name appears, no clinician has checked it. We are glad to have reviewers and are recruiting them, and we do not hold pages back waiting for one. Use this site to understand your situation and to ask better questions of the people treating you.
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