Review of epidemiologic study results of vinyl chloride-related compounds

Epidemiologic study results addressing the carcinogenicity of six compounds related to vinyl chloride (vinylidene chloride, trichloroethylene, perchloroethylene, carbon tetrachloride, ethylene dibromide and epichlorohydrin) are reviewed. The study results suggest an increased carcinogenic risk among workers exposed to epichlorohydrin and to dry cleaning and degreasing solvents. Although several studies report no significant excess of cancer mortality, an evaluation of the design of these investigations demonstrates that these negative cohort studies consisted of populations of insufficient sample size and latency to permit any meaningful conclusions regarding carcinogenic risk. Therefore, experimental studies must be relied upon to determine whether several of these substances pose a potential carcinogenic risk to humans. Available evidence indicates that all of these substances have demonstrated a carcinogenic response in experimental animals and most are mutagenic in experimental test systems.