Action Alerts

Urge the EPA to designate vinyl chloride as a high-priority chemical

What's At Stake

Vinyl chloride — a toxic substance used to make plastic — was identified as a known human cancer-causing chemical 40 years ago, yet it has remained in widespread use. It is just now that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is finally considering designating vinyl chloride as a high-priority chemical under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA).

Supporting this designation is essential to protect our communities and environment from this hazardous substance.

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Vinyl chloride exposure significantly increases people’s risk of developing rare liver cancers, as well as other cancers such as brain, lung, lymphoma, leukemia, and other serious health problems. Despite its severe health risks, vinyl chloride remains a key ingredient in polyvinyl chloride (PVC) plastic, which is used to make consumer products like packaging, children’s toys, and building materials.

By designating this toxic substance as a high-priority chemical, EPA will have to conduct a comprehensive risk evaluation and eliminate the chemical’s unreasonable risks. TSCA even gives EPA the authority to ban vinyl chloride, delivering long overdue protections to workers, consumers, and fenceline communities. Public support and advocacy are vital in driving this change to protect public health and the environment from the pervasive threats posed by vinyl chloride.

Ask the EPA today to conduct testing at the tap to determine whether toxic vinyl chloride is leaching from PVC water pipes into our drinking water, visit communities impacted by vinyl chloride pollution, and include the risks from rail or other transportation incidents in its risk evaluation of vinyl chloride.  

Historical usage and disposal of vinyl chloride has led to widespread contamination, particularly at Superfund sites nationwide, where vinyl chloride continues to leach into groundwater. Communities near manufacturing facilities, disposal sites, and transportation routes are at the highest risk of exposure. These often include low-income and marginalized populations already burdened with greater environmental health risks. 

In addition, people are exposed to vinyl chloride as a result of unplanned incidents, including the disastrous 2023 railway crash in East Palestine, Ohio. Between 2010 and 2023, 966 vinyl chloride-related incidents (leaks, spills, fires, and explosions) were reported — an average of one every 5.3 days.

Given the extensive and well-documented harms of vinyl chloride, supporting the EPA’s proposal to designate it as a high-priority chemical is crucial. Send the agency a letter today.

Aerial photo of the wreckage of burned chemical train cars.
Workers clean up the wreckage from a train derailment that spilled toxic chemicals in East Palestine, Ohio on Thursday, February 23, 2023. (Lauren Petracca for Earthjustice)

54 Days Remain

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