Chloroform is a clear, colorless, and mobile liquid with a pleasant, sweet odor. It has a chemical formula of CHCl(3). Chloroform is synonymous to trichloromethane, trichloroform, freon 20, COBEHN spray-cleaner solvent, formyl trichloride, methane trichloride, methenyl trichloride, methyl trichloride. Chloroform is commonly used as solvent in pharmaceutical industries. It can also be used to bond pieces of acrylic glass (Perspex and Plexiglas), producing dyes,pesticides, coolants, grain fumigants and dry cleaning spot remover.
The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) has established a recommended short-term exposure limit to chloroform for 60-minute. The time exposure limit is related to its toxic effect in the central nervous system and potential cancer-producing (carcinogenic) effect. Thus if you are wondering if you can use chloroform for sleep due to its central nervous system depression effect, the safe answer is NO.
Inhalation of chloroform causes signs and symptoms of central nervous system depression. Initially, the person may experience feeling of warmth of the face and body, then irritation of the mucus membranes, eyes, and skin. Eventually there is excitation, loss of reflexes, sensation, and consciousness.
Constant exposure to chloroform will cause psychiatric and neurological symptoms such as paralysis, depression, hallucinations, and moodiness. It will also cause cardiac and respiratory failure. Moreover, patients who have chronic exposure to chloroform may also have neurological and gastrointestinal signs and symptoms that resemble chronic alcoholism.
Therefore, if you have trouble going to sleep and staying asleep it is very important to consult your doctor for an appropriate pharmacologic and non-pharmacologic intervention to promote sleep such as sleeping pills and relaxation techniques.
Resource:
http://www.osha.gov/SLTC/healthguidelines/chloroform/recognition.html
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