Chloroform: Evaluation of the effects on reproduction, recommendation for classification

On request of the Minister of Social Affairs and Employment, the Health Council of the Netherlands evaluates the effects on the reproduction of substances at the workplace. The Health Council’s Committee for Compounds Toxic to Reproduction recommends to classify compounds toxic to reproduction according to the Directive 93/21/EEC of the European Union. In the present report the committee has reviewed chloroform.

The committee’s recommendations are:

• For effects on fertility, the committee recommends no classification of chloroform due to a lack of appropriate data.

• For developmental toxicity, the committee recommends to classify chloroform in category 2 (Substances which should be regarded as if they developmental toxicity to humans) and to label chloroform with R61 (may cause harm to the unborn child).

• For effects during lactation, the committee is of the opinion that due to the lack of appropriate data chloroform should not be labelled with R64.

Committee