Vinyl chloride can enter the air, soil, and groundwater following improper disposal of chemical wastes. If your water supply is contaminated, showering, bathing, cooking, or laundering with the water can release vinyl chloride into the air where you can breathe it. Vinyl chloride is not easily absorbed by the skin. Most of what we know about the harmful effects of vinyl chloride comes from studies on male workers in the plastics industry and from animal studies. Breathing high levels of vinyl chloride can make you feel lightheaded and give you a headache.
Recovery is usually rapid if exposure is stopped and fresh air is breathed.
Animal studies show that exposure to high levels of vinyl chloride can damage the liver, lungs, and kidneys. Breathing very high levels of vinyl chloride over several years is thought to cause liver damage, kidney damage, nerve damage, and immune disorders. Workers exposed to high levels of vinyl chloride for several years have higher rates of liver cancer. Pregnant women may have an increased risk of miscarriage and birth defects when exposed to very high levels of vinyl chloride in air. These high levels would not be expected in a home.