A national advocacy group argues that the range of health and safety hazards linked to vinyl chloride are serious enough to warrant banning it entirely.

The gas – which is the main ingredient in the plastic PVC (polyvinyl chloride) – was the subject of intense media attention after the Norfolk train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio earlier this year. Over 100,000 pounds of vinyl chloride was burned as a result of the accident.

Vinyl chloride (VC) is a colorless, flammable gas derived from fossil fuels. It is harmful to humans at any level of exposure; it has short-term effects on the central nervous system, and long-term exposure is linked to liver damage, some cancers and an increased chance of birth defects. 

The new Food & Water Watch fact sheet, “Vinyl Chloride: A Threat to Our Health and Environment,” argues that those dangers are compounded by the pollution created by the petrochemical facilities that produce VC, as well as the health impacts associated with its use in everything from food packaging to water pipes. As a result of these documented health risks, the use of PVC in food packaging is banned in several countries (Canada, Spain, South Korea, and the Czech Republic).

The production of vinyl chloride is an environmental justice issue – the majority of VC is manufactured in low-income communities and communities of color in Louisiana, Texas and Kentucky. And while other sectors of the economy shift away from fossil fuels, demand for vinyl chloride presents a lifeline to climate polluters: Plastics are expected to account for about half of the growth in fossil fuel demand between now and 2050. By that year, as much as one-fifth of all oil and gas consumption will be for plastics.

“There is no doubt that vinyl chloride presents a clear threat to public health and safety,“ said Mitch Jones, Food & Water Watch Managing Director of Policy and Litigation. “The East Palestine train disaster should serve as a wake up call. The strongest course of action is to ban this dangerous gas. The EPA has the authority to call for banning vinyl chloride. It’s time for the Biden administration to do the right thing.”