Groundwater and drinking water contamination from industrial discharge including trichloroethylene is a major concern for human health and has precipitated numerous incidents and lawsuits in the United States.
The 1995 non-fiction book A Civil Action was written about a lawsuit (Anderson v. Cryovac) against following the increase in cancer cases after trichloroethylene pollution incidents and it was adapted to cinema in 1998.
TCE has been used as a recreational drug. Common methods of taking trichloroethylene recreationally include inhalation from a rag (similar to taking an inhalational anaesthetic) and drinking. Most TCE abusers were young people and workers who use the chemical in their workplace. The main reason for abuse is TCE's euphoriant and slight hallucinogenic effect. Some workers had become addicted to TCE.