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Health Effects of Vinyl Chloride Gases, Smells,Odors - US EPA / ATSDR information InspectAPedia®  -          US EPA information on health effects of exposure to vinyl chloride US ATSDR information on health hazards of exposure to PVC Vinyl Chloride, Dioxin, HCL, hazards from PVC or hPVC product production, manufacturing, outgassing, and especially from burning Disposal of vinyl building products Exposure limits & exposure effects of vinyl chloride Medical information and information about vinyl chloride and plastic "offgassing" Links to articles on diagnosing and curing smells in buildings Questions & answers about hazards of vinyl chloride gases, smells, and odors, or about vinyl siding and other vinyl products used on buildings

This article discusses the health effects of exposure to vinyl-chloride (PVC - polyvinyl chloride) and hPVC and gives references to more scholarly information sources. To improve clarity and provide public information we include here information from several US government sources including the US EPA and the US ATSDR, Department of health and Human Services, Agency for Toxic substances and Disease Registry

Plastic odors and the detection & source-diagnosis of many common odor sources observed some installations of vinyl exterior building siding or in other plastic or vinyl building products such as windows and trim are discussed at VINYL Siding or PLASTIC Window ODORS in Buildings. For a more broad approach to diagnosing building odor sources, see ODORS, Smells, Gases in Buildings-Diagnosis & Cure and see our ODOR DIAGNOSIS CHECKLIST

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What are the Possible Hazards Associated with Vinyl Building Products, Production, Odors in Normal Use, or During Demolition, Disposal, Combustion in Fires?

Level of Health Hazard from PVC Building Products in Residential Use

The argument about the actual level of health hazard from vinyl product odors (plastic smells) in normal residential use (such as odors from vinyl siding or windows) is ongoing.

Clearly the chief health concerns most sources cite for PVC building products such as vinyl siding appear to be health risks to the workers during production (dioxin, the most powerful carcinogenic substance known), and health risks later (HCL and dioxin) if the material is burned - say as waste or in a house fire. Dioxin is almost certainly released at harmful levels in those cases.

Disposal of PVC Building Products

Disposal of plastic building products by burial means those products are likely to remain intact for a very very long time. Disposal by burning is likely to be dangerous, releasing dangerous levels of dioxin and HCL. For disposal of vinyl products a different process, thermal depolymerization, has been developed to convert the plastic into fuel and minerals, but it's not widely used.

Plastic or PVC Odor Complaints

At some buildings occupants complain (to us by email) of odors and outgassing that is on occasion traced to vinyl siding, vinyl window products, building trim, or window screens (see PLASTIC ODORS-SCREENS, SIDING). We suspect that suspect that the chemistry of gases may be different for each plastic-containing material. In vinyl siding or vinyl windows or trim the building material used would be uPVC or Rigid PVC.

We have not found a reliable source documenting the chemistry of such odors, but some sources cite possible outgassing of dioxin and HCL (probably at very low levels), and one unsubstantiated source (no authoritative citations) claimed formaledhyde outgassing (doubtful). Prudent avoidance may be in order from even these odors, especially for people at particular health risk, such as asthmatics or infants and the elderly.

Most home inspectors do not provide environmental and odor diagnosis. But if your question is tracking down the odor source, any building occupant might be able to handle this perfectly well yourself following the odor patch test process we describe at SMELL PATCH TEST to Track Down Odors. Before blaming building siding or windows on an odor, be sure you've properly tracked down the odor source. Also see ODORS, Smells, Gases in Buildings-Diagnosis & Cure.

The vinyl building products industry argues that the levels of dioxin and HCL (hydrochloric acid) from their products are not significant.

Vinyl & Vinyl Chloride Possible Health Hazard Information Provided Here - Dioxin (potent carcinogen) & HCL

VINYL Siding or PLASTIC Window ODORS in Buildings
VINYL CHLORIDE HEALTH INFO
  Vinyl Chloride Health Hazards US ATSDR
  Vinyl Chloride Health Hazards US EPA
  Vinyl Chloride Exposure, Acute & Chronic
  Physical Properties of vinyl chloride
  Inhalation Exposure to Vinyl Chloride
  Standards for Exposure to Vinyl Chloride
  Health Effects of Exposure to "Plastic or Vinyl" Odors
  Vinyl Chloride Exposure - Opinions
  Vinyl Chloride Exposure Questionnaire
  Emission Standard for Vinyl Chloride

Vinyl Chloride Health Hazard Information - US ATSDR

Synonyms for vinyl chloride include chloroethene, chloroethylene, 1-chloroethylene, ethylene monochloride, monochloroethylene, monovinyl chloride, MVC, VC, VCM, and vinyl chloride monomer. The following is quoted from the US ATSDR.

• Persons exposed only to vinyl chloride gas pose no risk of secondary contamination. Persons whose clothing or skin is contaminated with pressurized liquid vinyl chloride can secondarily contaminate rescuers by direct contact or through off-gassing of vapor.
• At all ambient temperatures, vinyl chloride is an extremely flammable and potentially explosive gas that is heavier than air. It has a mild, sweet odor, but odor is not an adequate warning of hazardous concentrations.
• Inhalation is the major route of vinyl chloride exposure; absorption is rapid and nearly complete. Gastrointestinal absorption is unlikely as vinyl chloride is a gas at room temperature. Dermal absorption is negligible.

Inhalation is the primary route of exposure, and vinyl chloride is readily absorbed from the lungs. Its odor threshold is too high to provide an adequate warning of hazardous concentrations. The odor of vinyl chloride becomes detectable at around 3,000 ppm and the OSHA PEL is 1 ppm (8-hour TWA). Therefore, workers can be overexposed to vinyl chloride without being aware of its presence. A 5-minute exposure to airborne concentrations of 8,000 ppm can cause dizziness.

As airborne levels increase to 20,000 ppm, effects can include drowsiness, loss of coordination, visual and auditory abnormalities, disorientation, nausea, headache, and burning or tingling of the extremities. Exposure to higher concentrations of vinyl chloride for longer durations can cause death, presumably due to central nervous system (CNS) and respiratory depression. The gas is heavier than air and can cause asphyxiation in poorly ventilated or enclosed spaces.

Children exposed to the same levels of vinyl chloride as adults may receive a larger dose because they have greater lung surface area:body weight ratios and increased minute volumes:weight ratios. In addition, they may be exposed to higher levels than adults in the same location because of their short stature and the higher levels of vinyl chloride found nearer to the ground.

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PVC Vinyl Building Products, Odors, Hazards Information can be found at InspectAPedia.com^® - Building & Environmental Inspection, Testing, Diagnosis, Repair, & Problem Prevention Advice. Unbiased information, no conflicts of interest.

Frequently-Asked Questions (FAQs) about Vinyl Chloride gases, smells, hazards, & vinyl siding, windows, or other building products

Question: health risks of vinyl siding

I bought a home two years ago that was built in the 1920's. The siding was redone, maybe 10- 15 years ago.

I've always wanted to replace the [vinyl] siding [on my home] because I was aware that there may be health risks associated to the material.

I would like to know if there really are risks to inhabitants, especially children, and what those risks are.

If it is recommended to remove the siding, what is the best way to dispose of the material? - S.V.Z.

Reply: Is Installed vinyl siding on homes a health hazard?

S.V.:

The principal health risks associated with vinyl siding are those that can occur during the manufacturing process and thus the hazards were or could be to workers in the siding manufacturing facilities.

Once having been installed on a home, risks to building occupants from vinyl siding or other vinyl products would occur only if the material is burned, as there could be toxic offgassing from the material in a fire.

Finally, we have received a few building odor complaints that were traced to offgassing from vinyl and other plastic products, particularly when exposed to heat and sunlight, such as odd chemical smells that we have traced not to vinyl siding products, but to certain window screen materials and to some vinyl window sashes and frames in retrofit windows. See PLASTIC ODORS-SCREENS, SIDING for details.

Otherwise, the answer to your question is no. There is no health justification for removing installed vinyl siding from a building.

Should Vinyl Siding be a Removed?

We do not recommend removal of the vinyl siding on on your home unless it is badly damaged. Some early vinyl siding products have been found to be easily cracked or broken, and others to fade in color. Siding that is damaged may leak wind-driven rain into building walls and should therefore be repaired or replaced. Faded vinyl siding is only a cosmetic issue.

How Should I Dispose of Vinyl Siding Scrap or Waste Material?

When we have had to dispose of vinyl siding during construction products we have taken the material to public waste disposal sites that accept construction debris. We have seen cases of builders who disposed of vinyl siding scraps by burying them on the building site. Not only is this prohibited in many communities, but burying a material that will not biodegrade is a poor practice that does not respect future property owners nor the environment.

Questions & Answers regarding this article

Questions & answers about hazards of vinyl chloride gases, smells, and odors, or about vinyl siding and other vinyl products used on buildings

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VINYL CHLORIDE HEALTH INFO
  Vinyl Chloride Health Hazards US ATSDR
  Vinyl Chloride Health Hazards US EPA
  Vinyl Chloride Exposure, Acute & Chronic
  Physical Properties of vinyl chloride
  Inhalation Exposure to Vinyl Chloride
  Standards for Exposure to Vinyl Chloride
  Health Effects of Exposure to "Plastic or Vinyl" Odors
  Vinyl Chloride Exposure - Opinions
  Vinyl Chloride Exposure Questionnaire
  Emission Standard for Vinyl Chloride

• "Vinyl Chloride, Hazard Summary-Created in April 1992; Revised in January 2000," US EPA, available at epa.gov/ttn/uatw/hlthef/vinylchl.html
• Asthma Citation: Bornehag, CG, et al. “Allergic symptoms and asthma among children are associated with phthalates in dust from their homes: a nested casecontrol study,” Environmental Health Perspectives. 15 July 2004
• HCL (hydrochloric acid) Toxicity Citation: OEHHA(CA Office of Environmental Health Assessment) Acute Toxicity Summary: Hydrogen Chloride March 1999
• American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists (ACGIH).  1999 TLVs and BEIs.  Threshold Limit Values for Chemical Substances and Physical Agents, Biological Exposure Indices.  Cincinnati, OH.  1999.
• "Blue Vinyl", (movie), BLUE VINYL TOXIC COMEDY PICTURES, 77 Bleecker St #C218, New York, NY 10012 Phone: 212.875.0456 Fax: 646.290.9274 Screening information: email: screenings@bluevinyl.org, Co-Director/Co-Producer Judith Helfand Judith@bluevinyl.org, Co-Dir/Co-Producer/D.P. Dan Gold, Dan@bluevinyl.org, Co-Producer Julie Parker, Julie@bluevinyl.org - from the film's website:
  A Toxic Comedy Look at Vinyl, The World's Second Largest Selling Plastic. With humor, hope and a piece of vinyl siding firmly in hand, Peabody Award-winning filmmaker Judith Helfand and co-director Daniel B. Gold travel from Helfand’s hometown to America’s vinyl manufacturing capital and beyond in search of answers about the nature of polyvinyl chloride (PVC). Her parents’ decision to “re-side” their house with this seemingly benign cure-all for many suburban homes turns into a toxic odyssey with twists and turns that most ordinary homeowners wouldnever dare to take. The result is a humorous but sobering and uniquely personal exploration of the relationship between consumers and industry in the feature-length documentary BLUE VINYL, which won the cinematography award in the documentary competition at the 2002 Sundance Film Festival
  BLUE VINYL also poses a refreshingly simple question: “Is it possible to make products that never hurt anyone at any point of their life cycle—when manufactured, when used, or when disposed of?"
  
• Carcinogenicity of Vinyl Bromide Exposure, NIH, ntp.niehs.nih.gov/ntp/roc/eleventh/profiles/s185viny.pdf
• Vinyl acetate information: not to be confused with vinyl chloride
  • information from OSHA: see osha.gov/SLTC/healthguidelines/vinylacetate/recognition.html includes exposure limits and hazard description.
  • data sheet from DOW chemical: see dow.com/productsafety/finder/vinyl.htm
• Medical Management Guidelines for Vinyl Chloride (C₂H₃Cl) - PDF from the US ATSDR, Department of health and Human Services, Agency for Toxic substances and Disease Registry, atsdr.cdc.gov/MHMI/mmg20.html. ATSDR can tell you where to find occupational and environmental health clinics. Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, Division of Toxicology and Environmental Medicine, 1600 Clifton Road NE, Mailstop F-32, Atlanta, GA 30333, 800-CDC-INFO • 888-232-6348 (TTY), Email: cdcinfo@cdc.gov
• "Standard Support and Environmental Impact Statement: Emission Standard for Vinyl Chloride" - original source U.S. Environmental Protection Agency US EPA, National Center for Environmental Publications (NSCEP) at http://www.epa.gov/nscep/ordering.html
• Vinyl Chloride Exposure Questionnaire
• "Siding With Vinyl", Vinyl Siding Institute, a vinyl building products industry association, National Housing Center, 120115th Street NW, Suite 220, Washington, DC 20005 - www.vinylsiding.org
• Thanks to reader Uri Dekel, Ph.D. for discussing PVC hazards and building odors 4/12/2010

EPA Article References

1. Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR). Toxicological Profile for Vinyl Chloride (Update). Public Health Service, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Atlanta, GA. 1997.
2. Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR). Case Studies in Environmental Medicine. Vinyl Chloride Toxicity.  Public Health Service, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Atlanta, GA. 1990.
3. Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR). Toxicological Profile for Trichloroethylene. Public Health Service, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Atlanta, GA. 1992.
4. J.E. Amoore and E. Hautala. Odor as an aid to chemical safety: Odor thresholds compared with threshold limit values and volatilities for 214 industrial chemicals in air and water dilution. Journal of Applied Toxicology, 3(6):272-290. 1983.
5. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Registry of Toxic Effects of Chemical Substances (RTECS, online database). National Toxicology Information Program, National Library of Medicine, Bethesda, MD. 1993.
6. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Hazardous Substances Data Bank (HSDB, online database). National Toxicology Information Program, National Library of Medicine, Bethesda, MD. 1993.
7. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Integrated Risk Information System (IRIS). National Center for Environmental Assessment, Office of Research and Development, Washington, DC. 1999.
8. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Health Effects Assessment Summary Tables. FY1997 Update. Environmental Criteria and Assessment Office, Office of Health and Environmental Assessment, Office of Research and Development, Cincinnati, OH. 1997.
9. American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists (ACGIH).  1999 TLVs and BEIs.  Threshold Limit Values for Chemical Substances and Physical Agents, Biological Exposure Indices.  Cincinnati, OH.  1999.
10. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).  Occupational Safety and Health Standards, Toxic and Hazardous Substances. Code of Federal Regulations 29 CFR 1910.1017.  1998.
11. California Environmental Protection Agency (CalEPA). Technical Support Document for the Determination of Noncancer Chronic Reference Exposure Levels.  Draft for Public Comment.  Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment, Berkeley, CA. 1997

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