FACT SHEET ON A DRINKING WATER CHEMICAL CONTAMINANT
GENERAL INFORMATION
Synonyms:
•	Monocmcroethyiene; Chloroethene
Chemical Description:
•	Synthetic organic compound; no natural sources
Properties:
•Gas at standard temperatures
•Hignly flammable
•Sweet, pieasant caor in sufficient concentrations
•Sparingly soluDie in water, soluble in alcohol, and very
soiuoie in ether ana carbon tetrachloride
Production and Use:
•	Production in 1979 was about 7 billion pounds
•	Used as raw material in the plastics, rubber, paper,
glass, ana automotive industries
•	Usea in manufacturing electrical wire insulation and
cables, piping, industrial and household equipment,
m©aical supplies, food packaging» and building and
construction products
•	Distributed and processed in a variety of forms,
including dry resins, piastisol. organosol, and latex
ENVIRONMENTAL PROFILE
Occurrence:
•	Does not occur wicely in the environment because
of its rapid degradation and limited release
•	Relatively rare contaminant in ground and surface
waters with higher levels found In ground water; the
major source of exposure is from contaminated water
•	lsss than 2% of ail ground water derived public water
systems contain vmyi chloride at levels of lug/l or
higher
•	Approximately 1 part per bill.on may be found in food
from food containers
•	Almost always co-exists with trtcNoroethytene
Releases:
•	Environmental releases will be limited to the areas
where vinyl chloride is produced ana usea
Environmental Fate:
•	When released to air, it is degraded in a few hours
•	When reieasea to surface waters, :t evcccra*es *c
the atmosphere in a few hours or aays, where it
undergoes rapid photochemical oxidation
•	it does not bind to soil but rather migrates readily to
ground water, where it is expected to remain for
months to years
HEALTH EFFECTS
Humans:
•Symptoms of chronic inhalation exoosure include
central nervous system disturbances and aaverse
liver,lung,cardiovascular,bone,and gastrointestinal
effects
•At high inhalation levels, occupational workers nave
experienced dizziness, headaches, eupncna, ana
narcosis
•	increases in the occurence of liver cancer as well as
tumors of the brain, lung, and bone marrow and
lymph tissues have been associated with
occupational exposures to vinyl cmonae
•Vinyl chloride is classified as a group A carcinogen, a
human carcinogen
Experimental Animals:
•	Oral exposure in rats at doses above 30 mg/kg 'or: 3
weeks—adverse blood and organ weight changes
•	inhalation exposure in mammals at 50 parrs per
million, 7 hours/day for 189 days—no apparent
toxicity; rets exposed to 100 ppm.2 hours/day for 65
months—increased liver weights
•No reproductive and developmental effects;
inconclusive fetal toxicity
•	Mutagenic in bacterial and mammalian cells

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REGULATORY HISTORY
ANALYTICAL METHODS
Existing Standards:
•	Clears Air Act (CAA): Not- avaiiccie
•	Clean Water Act (CWA): Registered
•	Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA):
Listea for ground-water monitoring
•	Supertund (CERCLA): (
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