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THE SIMPLE FACTSTM...Vinyl chloride is a colorless gas, a known carcinogen and has been linked to liver damage (hepatic angiosarcoma, a liver cancer), brain damage and death.
Vinyl chloride is used to make polyvinyl chloride (PVC). PVC is used to make a variety of plastic products, including pipes, wire and cable coatings, and packaging materials. Its major release to the environment will be as emissions and wastewater at polyvinyl chloride (PVC) plastics production and manufacturing facilities. Vinyl Chloride may have also been used as a spray can propellant until the mid 1970’s.
Vinyl Chloride is also used in the manufacture of numerous products in building and construction, automotive industry, electrical wire insulation and cables, piping, industrial and household equipment, medical supplies, and is depended upon heavily by the rubber, paper, and glass industries.
Exposure to vinyl chloride occurs mainly in the workplace. The workers that may be most susceptible to Vinyl Chloride exposure are rail car and ship loaders of vinyl chloride, fabricators of PVC, shower curtain manufacturing, plastics manufacturing, resins manufacturing, rubber manufacturing and beauty shop employees (hair spray may have used Vinyl Chloride until the mid 1970’s). Breathing vinyl chloride for long periods of time may result in permanent liver damage, immune reactions, nerve damage, liver cancer (hepatic angiosarcoma), brain damage and death. Drinking water from contaminated wells can also cause serious health problems. The latency period between exposure to Vinyl Chloride and any symptoms may be as much as 20 years or more. According to the EPA, the production of vinyl chloride in 1993 was nearly 14 billion lbs.
Vinyl Chloride can be formed when other substances such as trichloroethane, trichloroethylene, and tetrachloroethylene are broken down. Vinyl Cholride may also be known under other trade names such as Monochloroethene, Monovinyl chloride (MVC), chloroethene, chloroethylene, ethylene monochloride and Trovidur.
Quite frankly, the simple factsTM about the carcinogen vinyl chloride and the possible injuries - liver damage (hepatic angiosarcoma, a liver cancer), brain damage and death - that may be caused from exposure to vinyl chloride from work or products are unacceptable.
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