Vinyl+Chloride

Manufacturers use polyvinyl chloride in order to produce food packaging, medical products, appliances, cars, toys, credit cards and rainwear. When this is made vinyl chloride could be released into the air or wastewater. Vinyl chloride is mainly found in the air near hazardous waste sites and landfills and has also been found in tobacco smoke. This chemical was one of the first chemicals appointed as a known human carcinogen by the National Toxicology Program. This chemical has been linked to increased mortality from breast and liver cancer among workers who are involved in its manufacture. Animals that are exposed to this chemical for a long amount of time have showed an increased risk to mammary tumors. This is a colorless compound and is highly toxic and flammable. As a gas it has a sickly sweet odor. It is a chemical intermediate and not a final product. There are no final products that use vinyl chloride as a monomer due to the hazards it poses to human health. It was first produced in 1835 by German chemists. They obtained it by treating dichlotoethane with a solution of potassium hydroxide in ethanol.