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Vinyl Chloride
Vinyl chloride (C.A.S. 75-01-4) is a extremely hazardous toxin that has been identified as a cancer causing chemical. Typically found as a colorless gas, Vinyl Chloride has a mild, sweet odor. It is a manufactured substance that does not occur naturally. It can be formed when other substances such as trichloroethane, thrichloroethlene and tetrachloroethlene are broken down.
Technical grade vinyl chloride is commercially supplied as a 99.9% pure liquid under pressure, but may also be found in EDC plants, in methyl chloroform plants, and, most importantly, in PVC processing and fabricating plants. Residual vinyl chloride monomer may be found in PVC and PVC resins that are not recognized as containing dangerous levels of vinyl chloride monomer.
Synonyms for vinyl chloride are chloroethene, chloroethylene, chlorethylene, ethylene monochloride, monochloroethene, monochloroethylene, VC, and vinyl chloride monomer (vinyl chloride monomer).
Health Effects of Exposure
According to the Sixth Annual Report on Carcinogens, published by the National Toxicology Program, vinyl chloride is a carcinogen. It is also listed as a carcinogen in EPA's national Toxic Release Inventory (TRI).
Although evidence of the carcinogenic effect of vinyl chloride in humans has come from groups occupationally exposed to high doses of vinyl chloride, there is no evidence that there is an exposure level below which no increased risk of cancer would occur in humans. And while workers in the chemical and plastics industries have the highest exposures to vinyl chloride monomer, a large population of workers involved in the fabrication of polyvinyl chloride products (children's toys, shower curtains, etc.) have also had exposure to vinyl chloride monomer. Vinyl chloride may damage the developing fetus. An excess of spontaneous abortions has been reported among workers and spouses of workers who have been exposed to vinyl chloride. Increased rates of birth defects have been reported in areas where vinyl chloride processing plants are located.
Vinyl chloride has been shown to cause liver, brain, and lung cancer, as well as lymphatic and hematopoietic malignancies (such as lymphoma and leukemia) in multiple epidemiologic studies. Some of the more prominent effects of exposure to vinyl chloride include.
- Acroosteolysis: (also known as AOL), referred to in industry documents as "the hand disease," an insidious and debilitating condition that, in the most extreme cases, is manifested by degeneration of the bones in the tips of the fingers. There is now evidence that the disease may not only be restricted to bones in the hand, but may also affect the bones of the toes, arms, legs, pelvis, and mandible.
- Angiosarcoma of the Liver: Angiosarcoma is a malignant tumor that originates in the blood vessels of the body. Angiosarcoma of the liver is a signature cancer associated with exposure to vinyl chloride. This condition occurs under a variety of medical names including, Agioplastic Sarcoma, Endothelioblastoma, Endiothelioma, Hemangioblastoma, Hemangioendothelioma, Hemangiosarcoma, Kupffer cell sarcoma, Metastasizing Hemangioma, Primary Hepatic Sarcoma and Reticuloendothelioma. Malignant vascular tumors are clinically aggressive, difficult to treat, and have a reported 5-year survival rate of less than 20%.
- Other Liver Disease: Vinyl chloride exposure has also been linked to conditions characterized by enlargement and surface changes of the liver, overproduction of collagen, and liver tissue damage (known collectively as "hepatic toxicity"). This includes cirrhosis of the liver.
- Brain Cancer: According to medical studies, vinyl chloride is the only chemical or environmental agent known to cause brain tumors. Primary brain tumors, meaning those that start in the brain itself, represent only 2%-3% of all cancer cases in the United States. Brain cancer is extremely difficult to treat because of its location within the skull and is considered one of the deadly forms of cancer. Each year there are about 18,000 new cases of adult primary brain cancer and about 14,000 deaths.
- Raynaud's Syndrome: Raynaud's syndrome is a painful condition usually affecting the hands and feet. It is characterized by numbness and discomfort, especially associated with exposure to cold temperatures. People affected by Raynaud's have poor blood flow to the fingers and toes due to damage to the circulatory system. Some patients with the condition may also develop other rheumatoligical conditions in the future. Treatment includes preventative care, medications and, rarely, surgery. It has been found in workers at vinyl chloride and PVC manufacturing facilities.
Production Locations
Historically, vinyl chloride monomer and/or polyvinyl chloride have been produced at facilities in the following US cities. Significant vinyl chloride exposure may also occur at the tens of thousands of PVC processing and fabrication plants scattered across the United States.
- Demopolis, AL
- Carson, CA
- Henry, IL
- Louisville, KY
- Baton Rouge, LA
- Plaquemine, LA
- Leominster, MA
- Springfield-Indian Orchard, MA
- Flemington, NJ
- Brooklyn, NY
- Akron, OH
- Painesville, OH
- Deer Park, TX
- LaPorte, TX
- Texas City, TX
- Moundsville, WV
- Saugus-Santa Clarita, LA
- Illiopolis, IL
- Owensboro, KY
- Norco, LA
- Fitchbury, MA
- South Acton, MA
- Aberdeen, MS
- South Kearney, NJ
- Niagara Falls, NY
- Huron, OH
- Cranston, RI
- Ingleside, TX
- Point Comfort, TX
- Point Pleasant, WV
- Long Beach, CA
- Pensacola-Pace, FL
- Meredosia, IL
- Calvert City, KY
- Lake Charles, LA
- Assonet, MA
- New Bedford, MA
- Midland, MI
- Pedricktown, NJ
- Hecksville, NY
- Avon Lake, OH
- Pottstown, PA
- Houston, TX
- Pasadena, TX
- South Charleston, WV
- Delaware City, DE
- Compton, CA
- Ringwood, IL
- Geismar, LA
- Westlake, LA
- Hebronville, MA
- Perryville, MD
- Passiac, NJ
- Bainbridge, NY
- Ashtabula, OH
- Oklahoma City, OK
- Freeport, TX
- Oyster Creek, TX
- Institute, WV
- Guayanilla, Puerto Rico
Production Regulations
As of 1974, the Consumer Product Safety Commission, the EPA, and the FDA have all banned the use of vinyl chloride as an aerosol propellant. The Clean Air Act addresses vinyl chloride emissions from production and manufacturing facilities.
Under the Clean Water Act, the EPA published a water quality criteria document addressing vinyl chloride for the protection of human health. EPA also regulates vinyl chloride as a hazardous constituent of waste under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act. Under the Safe Drinking Water Act, the EPA established a maximum contaminant level for vinyl chloride.
The FDA eliminated the use of vinyl chloride in drug products and proposed alerting food manufacturers to the need for monitoring packaging materials that may contain it.
OSHA has established permissible exposure limits for vinyl chloride, and regulates vinyl chloride under the Hazard Communication Standard and as a chemical hazard in laboratories.
Under the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act of 1986, releases of more than one pound of vinyl chloride into the air, water, or land must be reported annually and entered into the national TRI.
The three states in which the largest amounts of vinyl chloride were released in 1989 were Texas (236,685 pounds), Louisiana (175,040 pounds), and Delaware (174,637 pounds).
CONTACT
If you have been affected by vinyl chloride exposure, you may have a legal right to compensation. CONTACT US for a free consultation.
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