Oxy Vinyls, LP (Oxy Vinyls) has reached a settlement that should significantly reduce vinyl chloride emissions at its plants in Pasadena, Texas; Louisville, Ky.; and Pedricktown, N.J., and the requirements associated with these reductions will become part of Oxy Vinyls' permits.

Under the agreement with the federal government, the Louisville (Ky.) Metropolitan Air Pollution Control District (LMAPCD) and the state of New Jersey, Oxy Vinyls has agreed to perform three environmental projects at an estimated cost of more than $1.22 million that are expected to permanently decrease emissions of vinyl chloride by approximately 40,000 pounds per year within five years. Oxy Vinyls, headquartered in Dallas, is North America's largest polyvinyl chloride (PVC) resin supplier and the third largest PVC supplier worldwide.

Most vinyl chloride is used to make PVC plastic and vinyl products. Exposure to vinyl chloride emissions has been linked to adverse human health effects, including liver cancer, other liver diseases, and neurological disorders. EPA has classified vinyl chloride as a human carcinogen.

See: Vinyl Chloride Settlement for More Information

WASHINGTON, D.C.- Formosa Plastics Corporation (Formosa) has settled a joint federal-state lawsuit over excess vinyl chloride emissions and other violations of federal and state environmental laws at Formosa's facility in Delaware City, Delaware the Department of Justice, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Delaware, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control (DNREC) announced today.

In settlement papers filed today in federal court in Wilmington, Delaware, Formosa has agreed to take several steps to comply with environmental regulations, pay a $450,000 penalty, and take additional measures to reduce vinyl chloride emissions, including an $840,000 project that exceeds federal and state legal requirements.

"This settlement provides another strong example of our efforts to enforce environmental laws, and it clearly benefits the people of Delaware who live near this facility," said Kelly A. Johnson, Acting Assistant Attorney General for the Justice Department's Environment and Natural Resources Division.

"All evidence indicates that vinyl chloride is a substance meriting significant concern and, through this agreement, the citizens of Delaware will be exposed to less of it," said Colm F. Connolly, U.S. Attorney for the District of Delaware. "Of particular importance is the manner in which the state and federal agencies worked together to achieve the common goal-the improvement of the environment in Delaware. The superb cooperation experienced in this case will be the standard in the future and I fully commit the resources of my office to assist both state and federal agencies in improving the environment in Delaware."

"We are pleased that this settlement requires Formosa to go beyond compliance and take immediate steps to reduce vinyl chloride emissions. The reductions will produce real health benefits for the people of Delaware," said Donald S. Welsh, EPA regional administrator for the mid-Atlantic region.

See EPA Vinyl Chloride Penalty by Formosa

More Health Concerns from Vinyl Chloride Inhalation

Vinyl chloride (C₂H₃Cl) is a colorless gas with a mild, sweet odor. Vinyl chloride is used to make polyvinyl chloride (PVC) plastic and vinyl products.  Acute (short-term) exposure to high levels of vinyl chloride in air has resulted in central nervous system effects (CNS), such as dizziness, drowsiness, and headaches in humans.  Chronic (long-term) exposure to vinyl chloride through inhalation and oral exposure in humans has resulted in liver damage.  The odor threshold for vinyl chloride is 3,000 ppm, which is appoximately 3000 times more than the maximum safe limits in an 8 hour day of 1 ppm. The 1/2 life of vinyl chloride gas is a few hours, therefore it continues to be harmful & deadly for a long time after it's initial release.

Angiosarcoma cancer of the liver is a major concern from exposure to vinyl chloride via inhalation, as vinyl chloride exposure has been shown to increase the risk of a rare form of liver cancer in humans. Vinyl chloride also has severe health effects to the brain and is known to cause brain tumors and/or angiosarcoma of the brain.

Vinyl Chloride Exposure Lawsuit - Talk to a Lawyer

If you or a family member have been diagnosed with angiosarcoma of the liver or the brain or any other serious injury from vinyl chloride exposure, then call the Willis Law Firm in Houston, Texas to discuss the legal options available to you and your family. Call toll free 1-800-883-9858 to talk to a Board Certified Personal Injury Trial Lawyer. All cases accepted on a contingency fee basis! Call us if we can assist you.

Talk to a Lawyer at 1-800-883-9858 for a Vinyl Chloride Exposure Lawsuit Evaluation.

Angiosarcoma - Vinyl Chloride Exposure

Many patients with angiosarcoma are clueless as to possible causes.  Angiosarcoma - a malignant tumor that originates in the blood vessels of the body. Angiosarcoma of the liver, is the most readily recognized cancer associated with exposure to vinyl chloride. It has been found in persons who have had exposure to vinyl chloride and persons exposed to some aerosol products up until the early to mid 1970s.

The Medical Synonyms for Angiosarcoma of the Liver:

• Malignant Hemangioendothelioma
• Metastasizing Hemangioma.
• Hemangioendothelioma
• Hemangioblastoma
• Endothelioblastoma
• Reticuloendothelioma (Purdy Stout)
• Angioplastic Sarcoma
• Primary Hepatic Sarcoma
• Angioplastic Sarcoma
• Undifferentiated Endothelioma
• Well differentiated Endothelioma
• Anaplastic Endothelioma
• Hemangio-endothelial Sarcoma
• Malignant vascular tumor of the liver
• Kupffer Cell Sarcoma
• Hemangiosarcoma
• Malignant Hemangiosarcoma

Jobs with Vinyl Chloride Exposure

The most common vinyl chloride exposure jobs, worksites or occupations with a high risk of vinyl chloride toxicity are as following:

• Vinyl chloride exposure in chemical plants
• Workers unloading railcars with vinyl chloride
• Automotive vinyl plant workers
• Vinyl Chloride manufacturing plants
• Railroad Workers at loading docks, tank cars & train yards,
• Maritime & Harbor Workers at harbor loading docks,
• Truck drivers, loaders and truck depots
• Rubber Plants & Manufacturing
• Vinyl chloride exposure to beauty shop workers
• Vinyl chloride exposure to hair stylists using hair spray before 1974
• Workers at Chemical Plants where Vinyl Chloride is produced
• Vinyl & Plastic Workers
• Plastic Plants that use Poly Vinyl Chloride (PVC)
• Vinyl Chloride Resin Workers
• Automotive Vinyl Plant workers
• Train & rail car workers in loading & unloading of VC 
• PVC Pipe Manufacturing Plant Workers
• Shipyard & Barge Workers loading VC
• Beauticians & Hair Dressers using canned aerosol hairspray
• Shower Curtain Vinyl Plant Workers
• Plastic Furniture Plant Workers

The Jobs with the Highest Risk of Vinyl Chloride Exposure:

• Train & Truck Loading Yards & Trucking Depots
• Plastic & Resins Plant Manufacturers 
• Vinyl Chloride (VC) Manufacturing Plants
• Spillage & Leaks at Railroad Yards 

States with Reported Total

Environmental Releases of Vinyl Chloride

Vinyl Chloride Angiosarcoma Lawsuit - Talk to an Attorney

If you or a family member have been diagnosed with angiosarcoma of the liver, angiosarcoma of the brain, liver cancer brain cancer or any other serious injury from vinyl chloride exposure, then call the Willis Law Firm in Houston, Texas to discuss the legal options available to you and your family. Call toll free 1-800-883-9858 to talk to a Board Certified Personal Injury Trial Lawyer. All cases accepted on a contingency fee basis! Call us if we can assist you.

 Call us at 1-800-883-9858 or Click Here for FREE Vinyl Chloride Lawsuit Evaluation