Jon Gelman, LLC - Attorney at Law > Practice Areas

If you are interested in discussing a potential case, please contact us by e-mail via this Web site or call 1-973-696-7900.

Companies in the U.S. began limited VCM manufacturing in the 1920s. Commercial production of VCM began in the 1930s. Throughout the sixties, seventies, eighties and nineties, the VCM and PVC industry enjoyed immense growth and prosperity.
VCM is manufactured by the relatively simple process of heating ethylene dichloride (EDC) to around 700°F in the presence of oxygen. VCM is manufactured in a relatively small number of plants that are almost entirely located along the gulf coast in Texas and Louisiana. VCM is used almost exclusively in the manufacture of various types of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) resins at PVC resin plants located across the United States, but again, primarily in Texas and Louisiana using, again, a relatively simple manufacturing process called polymerization.

VCM is charged to large polymerization reactors that are often referred to as "polys" or PVC "kettles." Since the polymerization process never consumes all of the available VCM, varying amounts of VCM remain trapped in every form of PVC resin and in every finished product fabricated from PVC resins. As a result, this residual vinyl chloride monomer (RVCM) is present in varying quantities in all raw PVC resin and in all finished PVC products until it is liberated into the atmosphere by "off-gassing" or migrates into food, drink, or other substances stored in containers made of PVC as well as various types of food wraps, etc. The potential adverse health effects associated with consumer product exposures are predictable but, because of the relatively low levels involved and the ubiquity of such exposures, difficult or impossible to demonstrate empirically in human beings. However, given animal studies and biological considerations, RVCM almost certainly poses a significant risk to human beings even at exceedingly low levels, notwithstanding industry propaganda to the contrary. However, the potential health risks posed by PVC products is not at all limited even to the millions of workers involved in fabricating PVC products but extends to everyone who is exposed to vinyl products, meaning virtually everyone.

From the PVC plant, raw PVC resin is bagged and shipped to a large number, perhaps hundreds, of compounding facilities where the raw PVC resin is compounded with other chemicals. Most resin, however, is shipped by rail and tank truck to thousands of PVC fabrication plants where fabrication workers melt or mold the PVC resin and process it to make consumer goods. In the course of product fabrication, millions of American workers are occupationally exposed to significant levels of vinyl chloride, although the vinyl industry would have us believe that only those workers directly involved in the manufacture of VCM or PVC resin are at risk for occupational diseases caused by vinyl chloride exposure. Even the limited studies that have been conducted demonstrate a clear occupational health hazard for these "downstream" vinyl workers involved in melting, molding, extruding, and calendaring PVC into "thousands of useful finished PVC products."

Medical Information

Most vinyl chloride is used to make polyvinyl chloride (PVC) plastic and vinyl products. Acute (short-term) exposure to high levels of vinyl chloride in air has resulted in central nervous system effects (CNS), such as dizziness, drowsiness, and headaches in humans. Chronic (long-term) exposure to vinyl chloride through inhalation and oral exposure in humans has resulted in liver damage. 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. EPA has classified vinyl chloride as a Group A, human carcinogen.

Acute Effects: Acute exposure of humans to high levels of vinyl chloride via inhalation in humans has resulted in effects on the CNS, such as dizziness, drowsiness, headaches, and giddiness. Vinyl chloride is reported to be slightly irritating to the eyes and respiratory tract in humans. Acute exposure to extremely high levels of vinyl chloride has caused loss of consciousness, lung and kidney irritation, and inhibition of blood clotting in humans and cardiac arrhythmias in animals. Tests involving acute exposure of mice have shown vinyl chloride to have high acute toxicity from inhalation exposure.

Chronic Effects(Noncancer): Liver damage may result in humans from chronic exposure to vinyl chloride, through both inhalation and oral exposure. A small percentage of individuals occupationally exposed to high levels of vinyl chloride in air have developed a set of symptoms termed “vinyl chloride disease,” which is characterized by Raynaud’s phenomenon (fingers blanch and numbness and discomfort are experienced upon exposure to the cold), changes in the bones at the end of the fingers, joint and muscle pain, and scleroderma-like skin changes (thickening of the skin, decreased elasticity, and slight edema). CNS effects (including dizziness, drowsiness, fatigue, headache, visual and/or hearing disturbances, memory loss, and sleep disturbances) as well as peripheral nervous system symptoms (peripheral neuropathy, tingling, numbness, weakness, and pain in fingers) have also been reported in workers exposed to vinyl chloride. Animal studies have reported effects on the liver, kidney, and CNS from chronic exposure to vinyl chloride. EPA has established a Reference Concentration (RfC) of 0.1 milligrams per cubic meter, and a Reference Dose (RfD) of 0.003 milligrams per kilogram per day for vinyl chloride. Please see IRIS for current information.

Reproductive/Developmental Effects: Several case reports suggest that male sexual performance may be affected by vinyl chloride. However, these studies are limited by lack of quantitative exposure information and possible co-occurring exposure to other chemicals. Several epidemiological studies have reported an association between vinyl chloride exposure in pregnant women and an increased incidence of birth defects, while other studies have not reported similar findings. Epidemiological studies have suggested an association between men occupationally exposed to vinyl chloride and miscarriages in their wives’ pregnancies although other studies have not supported these findings. Testicular damage and decreased male fertility have been reported in rats exposed to low levels for up to 12 months. Animal studies have reported decreased fetal weight and birth defects at levels that are also toxic to maternal animals in the offspring of rats exposed to vinyl chloride through inhalation.

Cancer Risk: Inhaled vinyl chloride has been shown to increase the risk of a rare form of liver cancer (angiosarcoma of the liver) in humans. Animal studies have shown that vinyl chloride, via inhalation, increases the incidence of angiosarcoma of the liver and cancer of the liver. Several rat studies show a pronounced early-life susceptibility to the carcinogenic effect of vinyl chloride, i.e., early exposures are associated with higher liver cancer incidence than similar or much longer exposures that occur after maturity. EPA has classified vinyl chloride as a Group A, human carcinogen. EPA uses mathematical models, based on animal studies, to estimate the probability of a person developing cancer from breathing air containing a specified concentration of a chemical.

EPA has calculated an inhalation unit risk estimate of 8.8 × 10-6 (µg/m3)-1 for lifetime exposure to vinyl chloride.

EPA has calculated an oral cancer slope factor of 1.5 (mg/kg/d)-1 for lifetime exposure to vinyl chloride.

Quick Page Navigation

Medical Information