Vinyl Chloride Health Hazards:
What is Vinyl Chloride?
Vinyl chloride is a gas with a slightly sweet odor and is used to produce polyvinyl chloride (PVC). The chemical is used to make PVC pipes, plastic kitchenware, car upholstery, packaging materials, and wire coatings. Vinyl chloride is a known carcinogen.
How Does Vinyl Chloride Exposure Happen?
Vinyl chloride sometimes forms when products containing “chlorinated” solvents break down in the soil or water. The chemical is most commonly found around factories that produce vinyl products and landfills, where it can enter the soil or air. Vinyl chloride can also contaminate groundwater and drinking water supplies. For example, in the 1980s, the U.S. Government discovered that vinyl chloride was contaminating the drinking water at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune.The most common forms of vinyl chloride exposure involve breathing contaminated air, tobacco smoke, or drinking contaminated water. If vinyl chloride is in the drinking water supply, people may be exposed through drinking or cooking with contaminated water. The chemical can also enter household air if people use contaminated water to do laundry, cook, or shower. You can also absorb vinyl chloride through the skin with contaminated bath water or soil or by handling vinyl products.
What Are the Health Hazards of Vinyl Chloride Exposure?
Vinyl chloride is toxic, and exposure can increase your risk of cancer, including:
- Liver cancer (hepatic angiosarcoma)
- Primary liver cancer (hepatocellular carcinoma)
- Lymphoma
- Leukemia
- Brain cancer
- Lung cancer
Long-term exposure to vinyl chloride can also cause decreased bone strength in your fingers, arms, and joints; damage to your nervous system; and changes to your immune system.
How Can I Test for Vinyl Chloride Exposure?
While your doctor may find vinyl chloride in urine and body tissues after recent exposures, this isn’t a good indication of the level or duration of your exposure. To determine your level and extent of exposure, your doctor may use functional tests of:
- Bone marrow
- Liver
- Kidneys
- Nervous system
You Need an Experienced Attorney
If you or someone you love has faced vinyl chloride exposure or long-term exposure to other toxic chemicals and have a related chronic health condition, we may be able to help. The experienced attorneys at the Madeksho Law Firm have been helping people like you get the compensation they deserve for years. Give us a call at 1-888-910-6376 or contact us online. Your initial consultation is free, and you won’t pay a fee unless we recover money on your behalf.
