Toxicity of vinyl chloride and polyvinyl chloride as seen through epidemiologic observations

In 1974, vinyl chloride (VC) was first reported in the scientific literature to induce angiosarcoma of the liver in animals and humans. Further research has now demonstrated the carcinogenicity of this agent to other organs. Target organs for VC now include the liver, brain, and lung, and probably the lymphohematopoietic system. The carcinogenic risk has been extended to jobs associated with polyvinyl chloride (PVC) exposure. This is evidenced by cases of liver angiosarcoma reported among individuals employed in or residing near PVC fabrication facilities and by epidemiologic study demonstrating a significant association between lung cancer and exposure to PVC dust. An association between PVC dust and pneumoconiosis has been demonstrated. On the basis of these findings, experimental bioassays and epidemiologic studies of the carcinogenicity of PVC are clearly in order. Prudent control of PVC in the industrial setting is also clearly indicated.