Is vinyl chloride harmful to human health?

Is vinyl chloride harmful to human health?

Vinyl chloride can irritate the eyes, mucous membranes, and respiratory tract. Escaping compressed gas or liquid can cause frostbite or irritation of the skin and eyes. Chronic exposure can cause permanent liver injury and liver cancer, neurologic or behavioral symptoms, and changes to the skin and bones of the hand.

What is vinyl chloride used for?

Vinyl chloride is a colorless, flammable gas that evaporates very quickly. It’s used to make polyvinyl chloride (PVC) pipes, wire coatings, vehicle upholstery, and plastic kitchen ware. Higher than normal levels of vinyl chloride may be present inside new cars as the chemical evaporates from new vinyl products.

Is vinyl chloride a carcinogen?

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.

What is the use of Chloroethene?

Poly(chloroethene) is used in building and construction, for example in making window and door profiles and in making pipes (from guttering to sewers, and ducting for cables). Figure 1 Uses of poly(chloroethene). It is also much used for packaging, including film for food and bottles.

What class of carcinogen is vinyl chloride?

Vinyl chloride is also carcinogenic71 and classified as a group I carcinogen by the International Agency for Research on Cancer.

Why is vinyl toxic?

During manufacturing, use and disposal of vinyl, the substance emits a toxic chemical, dioxin, which is easily absorbed by the body and stored in the fatty tissue. In animals, dioxin is stored and makes its way up the food chain, reaching its highest concentrations in the apex predators.

Is vinyl chloride banned?

Vinyl chloride has been used in the past as a refrigerant, as an extraction solvent for heat-sensitive materials, in the production of chloroacetaldehyde, as an aerosol propellant and in drugs and cosmetic products; these uses were banned in the United States of America (USA) by the Environmental Protection Agency in …

Which plastic is carcinogenic?

The manufacture, use and disposal of various plastics can pose numerous health risks, including the risk of cancer. A model example of carcinogenic risk from plastics is provided by polyvinyl chloride, since it is composed of the known human carcinogen vinyl chloride (VC).

What is ethyl chloride?

Ethyl Chloride is a prescription medicine used to treat the symptoms of Nasal Bacterial Decolonization. Ethyl Chloride may be used alone or with other medications. Ethyl Chloride belongs to a class of drugs called Antiseptics, Topical.

What is ethyl halide?

ethyl chloride (C2H5Cl), also called chloroethane, colourless, flammable gas belonging to the family of organohalogen compounds. At one time, ethyl chloride was a high-volume industrial chemical used in the preparation of the gasoline additive tetraethyl lead.

What type of toxin is vinyl chloride?

Vinyl chloride monomer (VCM) is an IARC group 1 carcinogen known to cause hepatic angiosarcoma (HAS) in highly exposed industrial workers. VCM is a component in the production of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) resins. VCM is a halogenated hydrocarbon with acute toxic effects, as well as chronic carcinogenic effects.

How does vinyl chloride damage DNA?

Vinyl chloride (VC) is a human carcinogen known to undergo metabolism by cytochrome P450 2E1 (CYP2E1) to reactive intermediates that can cause oncogene and tumor suppressor gene mutations and that are further metabolized by acetaldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH2) and glutathione-S-transferases (GSTs) to non-mutagenic end …