What is vinyl chloride?
Vinyl chloride is a colorless gas with a sweet odor. It is very volatile, meaning it can change into a gas quickly, and at high concentrations is flammable. Its primary use is in making polyvinyl chloride (PVC) plastic, which is commonly used in plumbing and construction. It can be released from PVC when it is burned.
How might I be exposed to vinyl chloride?
Vinyl chloride exposure most commonly occurs in an occupational setting. Vinyl chloride can be found in the environment as a breakdown product of other organic compounds containing chlorine, such as trichloroethylene (TCE). It can be dissolved in water and can move through the ground in groundwater. Vinyl chloride vaporizes rapidly from water into the air, with a half-life ranging from about 8-48 hours.
Because it is volatile, it tends to evaporate from soil into the air. This can cause vinyl chloride to move out of contaminated soil and into the lower levels of homes. This process is called vapor intrusion. Once in the air, vinyl chloride is broken down by reaction with hydroxyl radicals to release a variety of unwanted chemicals.
How does vinyl chloride get into and leave my body?
People are primarily exposed to vinyl chloride through inhalation. Once in the body, it is broken down by the liver and the breakdown products are excreted in urine. Some vinyl chloride can leave the body by moving back into the lungs and being exhaled.
How can vinyl chloride affect my health?
Workers exposed to higher concentrations of vinyl chloride have increased risk for various autoimmune symptoms. At high concentrations it can be neurotoxic, causing symptoms like dizziness, drowsiness, and headaches. Vinyl chloride can also be irritating to the eyes, nose, and throat at high concentrations. People in the general population are unlikely to be exposed to vinyl chloride at high enough concentrations to cause health problems.
How likely is vinyl chloride to cause cancer?
Long-term exposure to low concentrations of vinyl chloride could cause a type of rare liver cancer called angiosarcoma. EPA classifies vinyl chloride as a Group A human carcinogen.
How can I reduce my risk of exposure to vinyl chloride?
Most people are exposed to only very low concentrations of vinyl chloride in the environment. Limiting exposure to tobacco smoke, which contains low levels of vinyl chloride, can reduce people’s exposure.
Where can I get more information on vinyl chloride?
- Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry ToxFAQs for Vinyl Chloride
- EPA Vinyl Chloride
updated 2025