Vinyl chloride, a colourless, flammable, toxic gas belonging to the family of organohalogen compounds and used principally in making polyvinyl chloride, or PVC, a widely used plastic with numerous applications. [3] Vinyl chloride causes angiosarcoma, brain and lung cancers, lymphoma, and leukemia. Studies of workers in polyvinyl chloride polymerization of certain plastic and rubber factories revealed that numerous workers had been diagnosed with liver angiosarcoma. The major industrial preparation of vinyl chloride begins with ethylene and has two Vinyl chloride finds its major application in the production of PVC. The target organs for VC now clearly in … Vinyl chloride monomer (VCM) is a colorless, gaseous, sweet-smelling organochloride primarily used in the production of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) with additional historical usage before the 1970s as an aerosol propellant and refrigerant. It is used in the plastics industry, often to produce PVC (polyvinyl chloride) and does not occur naturally in the environment. Summary: Vinyl chloride is a colorless gas. For more information about this message, please visit this page: Agency for Toxic Substances & Disease Registry, Medical Management Guidelines (MMG) for Acute Chemical Exposure, Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, Quick Reference for Health Care Providers. Vinyl chloride is used to make polyvinyl chloride (PVC). Toxicological Profile for Vinyl Chloride (Update). Exposure has also been associated with brain tumors. Vinyl chloride is used to make polyvinyl chloride (PVC). ATSDR can also tell you the location of occupational and environmental health clinics. These releases … Vinyl chloride is a colorless gas with a mildly sweet smell that is flammable. Additionally, there are reports of cases of significant chronic exposure related to aerosol propellant usage in the 1960s and early 1970s, although VCM is no longer utilized in this manner. Additional research has now demonstrated the carcinogenicity of VC to other organs and at lower concentrations. Addendum to the Toxicological Profile for Vinyl Chloride (February 2016). Toxic substances list: vinyl chloride Vinyl chloride (VC) is a flammable and explosive colourless gas with a sweet odour. VC is the most toxic plastic for our health and environment. Most often used in construction, PVC is a plastic composed of three elements: carbon, hydrogen and chlorine. In 1974, vinyl chloride (VC) was first reported in the open scientific literature to induce angiosarcoma of the liver both in humans and in animals. Public Health Service, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Atlanta, GA. 1997. Prioritization of substances based on a combination of their frequency, toxicity, and potential for human exposure at National Priorities List (NPL) sites. Case Studies in Environmental Medicine. In Section 6, EPA has characterized its overall confidence in the quantitative and qualitative aspects of hazard and dose response. Vinyl Chloride is a cancer-causing chemical that is highly-toxic, flammable, colorless, and sweet-smelling. It has a mild, sweet odor. It can be formed when other substances such as trichloroethane, trichloroethylene, and tetrachloroethylene are broken down. Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR). Doctors pinpointed the carcinogenicity of vinyl chloride in the late 1960s. Plasticized or Flexible PVC (Density: 1.1-1.35 g/cm3): Flexible PVC is formed by the addition of compatible plasticizers to PVC which lower the crystallinity. It can be formed when other substances such as trichloroethane, trichloroethylene, and tetrachloroethylene are broken down. In 1982, the Marine Corps discovered specific volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in the drinking water provided by two of the eight water treatment plants on base. Vinyl chloride is a known animal and human carcinogen that induces angiosarcoma of the liver as well as tumors of the lung and hematolymphopoietic system in humans (Doll 1988; IARC 1987). For this reason, some items on this page will be unavailable. Vinyl chloride is used to make polyvinyl chloride (PVC). (4) Vinyl chloride is slightly soluble in water and is quite flammable. Vinyl: The Poison Plastic Polyvinyl chloride (PVC or vinyl) is the most toxic plastic for our health and the environment. vinyl chloride 100 75-01-4 Ingredient name % CAS number There are no additional ingredients present which, within the current knowledge of the supplier and in the In the environment, the highest levels of vinyl chloride are found in … Polyvinyl chloride, also known as PVC or vinyl, is arguably one of the most toxic types of plastic in our lives. It has a mild, sweet odor. Email: Contact CDC-INFO. Toxic Exposure Injury Attorneys - Serving Clients Nationwide. Note: Javascript is disabled or is not supported by your browser. The information in this MRL serves as a screening tool to help public health professionals decide where to look more closely to evaluate possible risk of adverse health effects from human exposure. PVC – the Poison Plastic. Workers at facilities where vinyl chloride is produced or used may be exposed primarily through inhalation. These documents provide information on the health effects of exposure, the chemical’s toxicity and material for responding to a chemical incident. What is disturbing is the fact that PVC uses chemicals that are quite dangerous to both our health and the environment; yet many of these chemicals are present in our own homes, workplaces and schools where children are exposed to them on a daily basis. A recent study that was conducted found that vinyl flooring contains toxic chemicals that include phthalates, lead, flame retardants, and VOCs like formaldehyde that will off gas into the air after the installation process in a home and taint the indoor air quality to hazardous levels. Healthy Child Healthy World describes PVC as the most toxic plastic, and vinyl chloride, the chemical used to make PVC, has been described as a known carcinogen by the World Health Organization's International Agency for Research on Cancer. Publication intended to aid emergency department physicians and other emergency healthcare professionals who manage acute exposures resulting from chemical incidents. Vinyl chloride, a chemical known to cause cancer, poisons the air breathed by workers and people living in contaminated communities. Short-term exposure to moderate levels of vinyl chloride in the air can result in a headache, vertigo, loss of consciousness, and fatigue.Nervous system damage is also possible. From 1987 to 1993, according to EPA's Toxic Release Inventory, vinyl chloride releases to water and land totalled over 38,000 lbs. Vinyl chloride is also known as chloroethene, chloroethylene, and ethylene monochloride. One reason why PVC is so toxic is that it is often mixed with softening chemicals called plasticizers, the most well known variety being phalates. (1) The odor threshold for vinyl chloride is 3,000 ppm. [4] According to the Agency for Toxic Substances & Disease Registry, an organization under the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, vinyl chloride is extremely toxic if inhaled, and it can cause major injuries if exposed to the skin directly. For more than 30 years, leading health, environmental justice, and health-impacted organizations across the country and world have been campaigning to phase out this poison plastic. Small quantities of vinyl chloride can be released to food since it is used to make many food wrappings and containers. (1) The chemical formula for vinyl chloride is C 888-232-6348 (TTY) Polyvinyl chloride is more often referred to by its less-technical names, PVC and vinyl. These clinics specialize in (4) • The chemical formula for vinyl chloride is C 2 H 3 Cl and the molecular weight is 62.5 g/mol. ATSDR and Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) are conducting an extensive review of environmental health concerns raised by the community members in Midlothian, Texas to determine if chemical releases from local industries could or have affected the health of persons and animals in the area. It is volatile, so the primary exposure is via inhalation as against food or water with occupational hazards being highest. Vinyl chloride toxicity occurs mainly through occupational exposure during the polymerization of VCM into PVC; however, community exposures secondary to industrial spills have occurred. U.S. Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, North Carolina was established in 1942. No other plastic contains or releases as many dangerous chemicals. Other pertinent literature is also presented, but is described in less detail than the key studies. Succinctly characterizes the toxicologic and adverse health effects information for a hazardous substance. (4) • The vapor pressure for vinyl chloride is 2,600 mm Hg at 25 °C, and it has a log The general population may be exposed by inhaling contaminated air or tobacco smoke. Note: Javascript is disabled or is not supported by your browser. It is primarily used to make Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC), the 3rd most-popular plastic material in the world. For this reason, some items on this page will be unavailable. Vinyl chloride is a deadly toxic chemical, despite industry’s repeated attempts to hide the threats. Summary about a hazardous substance taken from Chapter One of its respective ATSDR Toxicological Profile. (4) • The odor threshold for vinyl chloride ranges from 260 ppm to 4,000 ppm. [1] [2][3] VCM is now classified as an International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) Group 1 carcinogen. • Vinyl chloride is a colorless, flammable gas with a mild, sweet odor. Dubbed the most toxic plastic, vinyl – or polyvinyl chloride – is used today in a superfluity of items surrounding us. An emerging toxic plastic of concern, polyvinyl chloride (PVC or vinyl), is used widespread in schools across the nation. It burns easily and it is not stable at high temperatures. Vinyl Chloride Toxicity. It is a manufactured substance that does not occur naturally. Most of it is made in the United States. Detailed Toxicity Information: Acute Toxicity 2: Vinyl chloride WHO Acute Hazard TRI Acute Hazard Material Safety Data Sheets Acute rating from U.S. EPA product label U.S. NTP Acute Toxicity Studies View Studies Cholinesterase Inhibitor: Not Listed Not Listed Not … Vinyl chloride has little acute toxicity, and air levels over 8000 ppm may be tolerated for 5 minutes without the development of symptoms. Vinyl chloride is a colorless gas with a mild, sweet odor. It is not intended to be a comprehensive treatise on the chemical or toxicological nature of vinyl chloride. The intensity of symptoms varies fro… Vinyl chloride is a colorless gas. Water from the Tarawa Terrace Treatment Plant was contaminated by PCE (perchloroethylene or tetrachloroethylene). Vinyl chloride | H2C=CHCl or (C2H3Cl)n or C2H3Cl | CID 6338 - structure, chemical names, physical and chemical properties, classification, patents, literature, biological activities, safety/hazards/toxicity information, supplier lists, and more. Quick reference guide providing information such as chemical and physical properties, sources of exposure, routes of exposure, minimal risk levels, children's health, and health effects for a substance. It is a manufactured substance that does not occur naturally. It is used to make PVC, which is an ingredient in making plastic products, such as pipes, wire and cable coatings, and packaging materials. Chloroethene, Chloroethylene, Ethylene monochloride, Monochloroethene, Monochloroethylene, VC, VCM, Vinyl chloride monomer (VCM) Colorless gas or liquid (below 7°F) with a pleasant odor at high concentrations. PVC is used to make a variety of plastic products, including pipes, wire and cable coatings, and packaging materials. Public Health Service, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Atlanta, GA. 1990. Prior to 1974, workers were commonly exposed to 1,000 ppm vinyl chloride, causing "vinyl chloride illness" such as acroosteolysis and Raynaud's Phenomenon. [Note: Shipped as a liquefied compressed gas.] Longer exposures have been associated with headache, dizziness, euphoria, ataxia, and narcosis. recognizing, evaluating, and treating illnesses resulting from exposure to hazardous substances. The MRL is an estimate of the daily human exposure to a hazardous substance that is likely to be without appreciable risk of adverse, non-cancer health effects over a specified duration of exposure. Please contact NTP, IARC, or EPA’s IRIS Hotline with questions on cancer and cancer classification. for the hazard and dose-response assessment in IRIS pertaining to chronic exposure to vinyl chloride. The ATSDR toxicological profile succinctly characterizes the toxicologic and adverse health effects information for the hazardous substance described here. To sum up: During its lifecycle PVC plastic releases toxic, chlorine-based chemicals that build up in the world’s ecosystems and end up in the food chain and eventually in humans and animals. These chemicals include dioxins that are among the most toxic chemicals known to science. The symptoms of vinyl chloride exposure are classified by ppm levels in ambient air with 4,000 ppmhaving a threshold effect. [ifediba.com] The gas can cause dizziness, drowsiness, and headache when inhaled. For more information about this message, please visit this page: Agency for Toxic Substances & Disease Registry, Health Effects of Exposure to Substances and Carcinogens, Community Environmental Health Education Presentations, Case Studies in Environmental Medicine (CSEM), Toxicology Curriculum for Communities Trainer's Manual, Compendium of Papers on MRLs and Health Effects, Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry. Each peer-reviewed profile identifies and reviews the key literature that describes a hazardous substance's toxicologic properties. It burns easily and it is not stable at high temperatures. Fact sheet that answers the most frequently asked questions about a contaminant and its health effects. Less-Technical names, PVC is used to make polyvinyl chloride – is used to make chloride. Terrace Treatment Plant was contaminated by PCE ( perchloroethylene or tetrachloroethylene ) acute exposures resulting chemical! 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