Incident investigations national toxic substance incidents. Studies of workers in polyvinyl chloride polymerization of certain plastic and rubber factories revealed that numerous workers had been diagnosed with liver angiosarcoma. Vinyl chloride is a skin irritant causing a skin rash or contact dermatitis. Health effects of exposure to general plastic odors or vinyl odors in the home. This teach chemical summary is a compilation of information derived primarily from u. A single small exposure to vinyl chloride from which a person recovers quickly is unlikely to cause delayed or longterm effects. At standard temperature and pressure, vinyl chloride vc is a nonirritating. A tanker car punctured during a train derailment released approximately 24, 000 gallons of vinyl chloride on the edge of a small town. Health effects of exposure to general plastic odors or.
Studies of workers occupationally exposed to vinyl chloride suggest that the. Jun 04, 2012 with the development of the plastics industry, diseases caused by exposure to vinyl chloride vc and poly vinyl chloride pvc had been identified by 1970. The study of health effects of vinyl chloride air pollution on population. The us osha limits vinyl chloride exposure of workers to no more than 1 ppm for eight hours or 5 ppm for 15 minutes. Vinyl chloride and its metabolites 2chloroethylene oxide, 2chloroethylene aldehyde and 2chloroethanol are mutagenic in various test systems 26. Vinyl chloride cancercausing substances national cancer. Ct findings related to exposure to polyvinyl chloride. Acute exposure guideline levels for selected airborne.
Jul 01, 2005 in 1994, the cmas vinyl chloride panel initiated plans to work with the u. Vinyl chloride was once considered for use as an inhalation anesthetic. After an aggressive lobbying campaign from industry, a final epa vinyl chloride assessment completed in 2000 after industry protest, excluded risk to organs other than the liver, which limited the development of truly protective health standards based on total cancer risk to all organs from vinyl chloride exposure. Shah, the industry panel manager, confirmed that the u. Toxicity of the pyrolysis and combustion products of poly. Vinyl chloride exposure questionnaire pdf djf addition from atsdr. Following inhalation and oral exposure vinyl acetate is rapidly hydrolysed by. The reliability of the exposure assessment is critically depending on the availability of analytical tools to determine the. In lithuania, industries where pvc is used belong to the group of workplaces with low vcm exposure levels. Exposure assessment is defined as the qualitative andor quantitative evaluation of the likely intake of biological, chemical or physical agents via food, as well as exposure from other sources if relevant faowho, 1997. The teach database contains summaries of research studies pertaining to developmental exposure andor. Vinyl chloride can be detected in urine and body tissues, but the tests are.
This iris assessment for vinyl chloride consists of hazard identification and doseresponse assessment data and provides support for epa risk management decisions. Exposure to vinyl chloride over many years can affect the liver, nervous system, and skin. Vinyl chloride exposure study of the community and local. Pmc free article purchase if, stafford j, paddle gm. Also, contact with the eyes will result in immediate and severe irritation. Vinyl acetate exposure produced tumors at the site of first contact along the exposure routes. Vinyl chloride exposure is associated with an increased risk of a rare form of liver cancer hepatic angiosarcoma, as well as brain and lung cancers, lymphoma, and leukemia. The main sources of information for this fact sheet are the agency for toxic substances and disease. The modeling effort includes multimedia transport and transformation models, exposure scenario models, and efforts to quantify and reduce uncertainty in multimedia, multiplepathway exposure models.
You may need a pdf reader to view some of the files on this page. Exposure assessment of vinyl chloride monomer in the workplace. Colorless physical state compressed, liquefied gas odor. Epa expressed an interest in working with industry to develop a scientificallysound vinyl chloride risk assessment shah 1994a, 1994b. In december 2012, vinyl chloride was released from a breached tank car after a train derailment in new jersey. Cancer is a major concern from exposure to vinyl chloride via inhalation, as vinyl chloride exposure has been shown to increase the risk of a rare form of liver cancer in humans. The hepatotoxicity of vinyl chloride has long been established since the 1930s when the pvc industry was just in its infant stages. Vinyl chloride is an organochloride with the formula h 2 cchcl that is also called vinyl chloride monomer vcm or chloroethene. The most important exposure route is air contamination from vc and pvc. It is not intended to be a comprehensive treatise on the.
All are animal carcinogens that also have received considerable epidemiologic. The teach database contains summaries of research studies pertaining to developmental exposure andor health effects for each chemical or. Bottassoan epidemiological study of vinyl chloride exposed. An assessment of the risk of occupational exposure. Doctors pinpointed the carcinogenicity of vinyl chloride in the late 1960s.
It is so volatile that much of the development work on this. The us epa and fda limit vinyl chloride in drinking water to 0. Assessment of emergency responders after a vinyl chloride. Vinyl chloride results aegl programs acute exposure. Usa were potentially exposed to vinyl chloride see general remarks. Work people who work with vinyl chloride are at the highest risk of vinyl chloride exposure. Epa, toxicity and exposure assessment for childrens health.
Further, severe vinyl chloride exposure may cause death. Investigators studying the effects of vinyl chloride exposure frequently report central nervous system symptoms that are consistent with the anesthetic properties of vinyl chloride. Contact with the liquid may also cause frostbite upon evaporation. The main sources of information for this fact sheet are the agency for toxic substances and disease registrys atsdrs toxicological profile for vinyl chloride 1 and. After an aggressive lobbying campaign from industry, a final epa vinyl chloride assessment completed in 2000 after industry protest, excluded risk to organs other than. There are a number of ways in which a person can become exposed to vinyl chloride, including through. Acute exposure guideline levels for selected airborne chemicals. In section 6, epa has characterized its overall confidence in the quantitative and qualitative aspects of hazard and dose response. Vinyl chloride volume11 aegl technical support document pdf 108 pp, 745 k. The pbpk model would be a useful tool in such risk assessment. Acute exposure can cause respiratory irritation and headache, drowsiness, and dizziness. The structure is primarily the linear headtotail configur ation but various irregularities can occur in the chain structure. Employers shall ensure that each employee has access to labels on containers of vinyl chloride and to safety data sheets, and is trained in accordance with the requirements of hcs and paragraph j of this section. Vinyl chloride, a gas used to make plastics, is an acute respiratory irritant that can cause headache, drowsiness, and dizziness.
Assessment of emergency responders after a vinyl chloride release from a train derailment new. Chronic or longterm exposure to vinyl chloride may result in skin. Repeated exposure to vinyl chloride may cause liver toxicity, neurological and behavioural. In 1974, vinyl chloride vc was first reported in the open scientific literature to induce angiosarcoma of. Addendum to the toxicological profile for vinyl chloride. Exposure assessment an overview sciencedirect topics. Epa, 1996, it is concluded that vc is a known human carcinogen by the inhalation route of exposure, based on human epidemiological data, and by analogy the oral route because of positive animal bioassay data as well as pharmacokinetic data allowing dose extrapolation across routes. Vinyl chloride vc risk science program rsp department of environmental toxicology. There is little doubt that exposure to high levels of vcm as a consequence of occupation can result in an increased incidence of asl. Vinyl chloride, a colorless gas with a mild, sweet odor, is used in plastics manufacture. Exposure assessment of vinyl chloride monomer in the. Vinyl chloride and the workplace communications workers of. A thresholded mode of carcinogenic action is thought to be active. The main route of occupational exposure is by inhalation, which occurs primarily in vinyl chloridepvc plants and in pvc processing plants.
Experimental animal data show vinyl chloride to be a multisite carcinogen. Portal hypertension, peripheral circulatory disturbances and malignancies such as angiosarcoma were all reported to be associated with exposure to vc 1, 2. Toxic exposure injury attorneys serving clients nationwide. Effects on humans toxicological effects between 1949 and 1974, a variety of effects of exposure to vc were documented.
With the development of the plastics industry, diseases caused by exposure to vinyl chloride vc and poly vinyl chloride pvc had been identified by 1970. Polyvinyl chlorides are high molecular weight polymers formed by the free radical polymerization of vinyl chloride monomers. This colorless compound is an important industrial chemical chiefly used to produce the polymer polyvinyl chloride pvc. The observed tumor responses are reflecting the target sitespecific enzyme activities. Nervous system toxicity has been observed in inhalation studies at high exposure levels. The major issue with this process is that fact that the catalyst used, mercuric chloride, is a very volatile compound. It is not intended to be a comprehensive treatise on the chemical or toxicological nature of vinyl chloride. Under the proposed guidelines for carcinogen risk assessment u. All of these symptoms have multiple causes, and many may occur as a result of anxiety, fear or stress induced by traumatic events.
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