Vinyl chloride

Formula: C₂H₃CI | CAS: 75-01-4

Detecting vinyl chloride: Vinyl chloride also is a breakdown product of other synthetic chemicals.

Detecting vinyl chloride to prevent workers exposure risks

Workers at facilities where vinyl chloride is produced or used may be exposed primarily through inhalation. The general population may be exposed by inhaling contaminated air or tobacco smoke. In the environment, the highest levels of vinyl chloride are found in air around factories that produce vinyl products. If a water supply is contaminated, vinyl chloride can enter household air when the water is used for showering, cooking, or laundry.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) identifies the most serious hazardous waste sites in the nation. These sites are then placed on the National Priorities List (NPL) and are targeted for long-term federal clean-up activities. Vinyl chloride has been found in at least 616 of the 1,662 current or former NPL sites. Although the total number of NPL sites evaluated for this substance is not known, the possibility exists that the number of sites at which vinyl chloride is found could increase in the future as more sites are evaluated. This information is important because these sites may be sources of exposure, and exposure to this substance can harm you.
– Agency for Toxic Substances & Disease Registry

What happens to vinyl chloride when it enters the environment?

Most of the vinyl chloride that enters the environment comes from vinyl chloride
manufacturing or processing plants, which release it into the air or into waste water. EPA limits the amount that industries can release. Vinyl chloride also is a breakdown product of other synthetic chemicals. Vinyl chloride has entered the environment at hazardous waste sites as a result of improper disposal or leakage from storage containers or spills, but some may result from the breakdown of other chemicals. In addition, vinyl chloride has been found in tobacco smoke at very
low levels.