Formation of dichloroacetylene from trichloroethylene in the presence of alkaline material - possible cause of intoxication after abundant use of chloroethylene-containing solvents

Inhabitants of a private home suffered from symptoms possibly due to dichloroacetylene intoxication. Subsequent anamnesis revealed that abundant amounts of trichloroethylene had been used to remove a wax coating from a concrete-lined stone floor. This prompted us to examine whether dichloroacetylene could have been formed. Incubation of two commercial samples of trichloroethylene with aqueous alkaline solutions between pH 11 and 13, with mortar and tile filling material resulted in the formation of dichloroacetylene. This finding suggests formation of dichloroacetylene, when trichloroethylene comes into contact with moderately alkaline material, such as moist concrete.