[A study of the cytotoxicity of chloroform, 1-2-dichloroethane, 1,1,1-trichloroethane and hexachlorobutadiene to mouse L cells (author's transl)].

A cytotoxicity test based on residual protein determination is described and the in vitro toxicity of certain chlorinated aliphatic hydrocarbons is evaluated with this test. The results obtained are sufficiently reproducible to yield an order of cytotoxicity: hexachlorobutadiene is about 100-fold more toxic than chloroform or 1,2-dichloroethane; whereas, 1,1,1-trichloroethane is 10-fold more toxic than these two compounds. The method is fast and lends itself to the toxic evaluation of large numbers of samples.