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Analysis of Volatile Halogenated and Purgeable Organics
Published in B. K. Afghan, Alfred S. Y. Chau, Analysis of Trace Organics in the Aquatic Environment, 2017
Reviews of the carcinogenic and mutagenic properties of these chemicals have been compiled by Fishbein.65,68 Vinyl chloride has been clearly implicated in causing angiosarcoma of the liver in occupationally exposed humans.65 Increased incidences of cancer of the pancreas, lung, and brain also occur in occupationally exposed workers.65 In addition to vinyl chloride, 1,1-dichloroethylene, trichloroethylene, tetrachloroethylene, chloroform, carbon tetrachloride, 1,1,2-trichloroethane, and 1,1,2,2-tetrachloroethane have been shown to cause cancer (mainly of the liver) in experimental animals.60,61 These compounds have also been demonstrated to be mutagenic in several bacterial assays.65,66,69 Very little data on the carcinogenic or mutagenic properties of the fluorocarbons and the chlorobenzenes is currently available.68
Halogenated Hydrocarbons: Persistence, Toxicity, and Problems
Published in Richard J. Sundberg, The Chemical Century, 2017
Vinyl chloride (CH2=CHCl) and vinylidene dichloride (CH2=CCl2) are extensively used in the preparation of PVC and saran, respectively (see Section 5.4.3). In the early 1970s, evidence that workers exposed to vinyl chloride had elevated risk to angiosarcoma of the liver began to appear, including three cases of this exceedingly rare tumor at a B. F. Goodrich plant in Louisville, KY, USA. At that point, the permissible industrial exposure level was decreased from 500 ppm to 1 ppm. Earlier, workers exposed to very high doses were also noted to have acute symptoms. The increased risk for angiosarcoma from heavy exposure to vinyl chloride is about 45-fold. The latency period is around 20 years. As of 1999, about 200 deaths worldwide had been associated with angiosarcoma resulting from vinyl chloride exposure. Because most parts of the world have imposed strict exposure limits, it is expected that the number of cases will decrease. There is also some evidence of increased brain cancer risk, although this remains controversial. As late as 1999, chemical manufacturers were arguing against further restriction of vinyl chloride levels in the workplace. The EPA has been criticized for excessive reliance on industry data and input in establishing risk assessments.8 The evidence as to whether vinylidene dichloride is carcinogenic is unclear. Vinyl chloride has been found in groundwater near landfills and industrial waste sites. It may arise in these situations, at least in part, from microbiological reduction of the cleaning solvents PCE and TCE.
Small-Area Studies
Published in Roberto Bertollini, Michael D. Lebowitz, Rodolfo Saracci, David A. Savitz, Environmental Epidemiology, 2019
We have been particularly concerned with the study of disease around multiple industrial sites, either to replicate an enquiry conducted post hoc around one site (by studying other sites in Britain producing similar discharges) or to test hypotheses related to a particular industrial process. Current projects include the investigation of cancer incidence near municipal incinerators and radio transmitters, and the incidence of angiosarcoma of the liver near vinyl chloride plants.
Analysis and risk assessment of vinyl chloride emitted from aerosol products
Published in Journal of Environmental Science and Health, Part A, 2023
Naeko Sugaya, Kaoru Inoue, Maiko Tahara, Tsuyoshi Kawakami
Vinyl chloride (VC) is a colorless gas at room temperature; its molecular weight is 62.50 and its boiling point is −13.9 °C.[1] VC is commonly used to manufacture a polymer called polyvinyl chloride (PVC). In the past, VC was used as a propellant in aerosol products such as cosmetics and insecticides.[2] However, three cases of angiosarcoma of the liver (ASL), which is a sentinel cancer for VC exposure, were reported among men who had worked at a PVC plant in 1974.[3] Moreover, VC was subsequently found to cause a statistically significant excess of tumors, including ASL, in experiments on animals.[4] Two cases of ASL from the use hair spray containing VC as a propellant have also been reported;[5] hence, exposure to high VC concentrations may occur using aerosol products in a home environment. Therefore, the use of VC as an aerosol propellant was banned in Japan and the United States in 1974,[6–8] and VC has not been used as a propellant since then.
Inhalation exposure to volatile organic compounds in the printing industry
Published in Journal of the Air & Waste Management Association, 2019
Abdullah Alabdulhadi, Ashraf Ramadan, Peter Devey, May Boggess, Maya Guest
Vinyl chloride concentrations inside the printeries were similar to those previously reported in outside air in Kuwait. In fact, Al-Hayi and Pillai (2012) took air samples near an oil refinery and noted that vinyl chloride was the most abundant halogenated VOC found in their study. In Yassin and Pillai’s study of Kuwait schools (2018), vinyl chloride was found in high concentrations in both indoor and outdoor air. However, markedly high concentrations were found in particular locations in all three printeries. For example, the government printery had two locations with higher concentrations (digital/photocopy and CTP 130–140 ppb) than others (50 ppb), indicating indoor use. In 1994 the USEPA listed vinyl chloride as being used in printeries (Exhibit 6, USEPA 1994). Back in 1975, vinyl chloride was determined to have caused angiosarcoma of the liver in printery workers (Herbert 1975) and is now an IARC class 1 carcinogen. It was observed more recently in just one printery study, but at less than 2 ppb (Leung, Liu, and Chan 2005). Vinyl chloride can be present in tap water (Walter et al. 2011), so it is possible that its presence in the printeries is from washing/rinsing with water. Consequently, it would be of interest to include vinyl chloride in future printery studies. Interestingly, concentrations of vinyl chloride and CFC-114 were very similar in all three printeries.
Overview of biological mechanisms of human carcinogens
Published in Journal of Toxicology and Environmental Health, Part B, 2019
Nicholas Birkett, Mustafa Al-Zoughool, Michael Bird, Robert A. Baan, Jan Zielinski, Daniel Krewski
The main route of occupational exposure to vinyl chloride is by inhalation, which occurs primarily in vinyl chloride/PVC plants and in PVC-processing plants. VCM is present in mainstream smoke of cigarets and cigars. Non-occupational exposure levels for the general population are low. Vinyl chloride induces angiosarcoma of the liver and hepatocellular carcinoma.