Chloroform is a toxin that can harm the skin, eyes, kidneys, liver, and nervous system if inhaled or swallowed.

Chloroform is an organic molecule that belongs to the trihalomethanes group of chemicals and has the chemical formula CHCl3. It's a colourless, pungent-smelling, viscous liquid that's employed on a vast scale as a precursor to polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE). When bleaching powder combines with alcohol or acetone, chloroform is produced as a by-product. It can be used to dissolve alkaloids in their natural condition. Chloroform is extensively used in industrial settings. It is used in laboratories to prevent the degradation of organic tissues such as anatomical specimens.

People get sensitised to it if they are exposed to large amounts, despite the fact that it has no odour. This is due to a chain reaction involving chlorine and chloroform, which results in the formation of methane. However, employing chloroform to incapacitate someone in this manner is impossible. Inhaling a chloroform-soaked item takes at least five minutes to render a person unconscious. Chloroform in significant doses can harm the central nervous system (brain), liver, and kidneys in humans. Dizziness, weariness, and headache might result from inhaling high quantities for a short period of time. Acute inhalation can elicit systemic effects such excitation, nausea, and vomiting, which can be followed by ataxia, disorientation, and confusion.

Chloroform is the active ingredient found in chlorine. It is commonly used as an antiseptic, a purifier, an engine degreaser, and as a brake fluid thinner. The compound is also used as an antifreeze, and some form of it is used for treating petroleum diesel. It was first used as an industrial cleaner but has now been found to have many health hazards. It's been found that chronic exposure to low levels of chloroform can cause a variety of health problems ranging from headaches, nasal congestion, to asthma and depression. It's considered an irritant, and there are currently not any laws to protect consumers from exposure to the chemical.

There have been several instances of deaths caused by the inhalation of chloroform. While deaths due to direct exposure are uncommon, there have been cases in which individuals who were exposed to the chemical formula died as a result of liver or kidney failure. Chloroform is a very dangerous substance. Because of this, it is banned in more than a few countries around the world and has been included in a list of materials that are likely to cause toxic exposure. A variety of health problems could result if this chemical were to enter the body.