Headlines

The Chemicals in Question

• Vinyl chloride is a colorless gas with a sweet smell. The chemical is an important component in manufacturing numerous industrial products.

It is recognized as a carcinogen by international health agencies, and has been definitively linked to liver angiosarcoma. Some studies link the chemical to brain cancer.

The U.S. EPA has set the maximum safe exposure at zero. However, the agency has set its groundwater limit at 2 parts per billion, the lowest that existing technology can reasonably remove vinyl chloride.

Vinyl chloride can be produced by the breakdown of 1,1-dichloroethylene and trichloroethylene, which were used at the Morton/Rohm and Haas and Modine Manufacturing Co. manufacturing plants in Ringwood.

• 1,1-dichloroethylene, also known as 1,1-DCE or vinylidene chloride, is a liquid with a sweet odor used in making adhesives, synthetic fibers, and food packaging.

Liver damage is a potential short-term effect of exposure, according to the U.S. EPA. Lifetime exposure can also result in kidney damage, cancer, and damage to a developing fetus.

The U.S. EPA has set the maximum limit for 1,1-DCE in groundwater at 7 parts per billion.

• Trichloroethylene, known as TCE as well as numerous trade names, is a colorless or blue liquid, with a chloroform-like odor. It is used to de-grease metal parts and textiles.

Liver problems and cancer can result from long-term exposure, according to the U.S. EPA.

The U.S. EPA has set the maximum safe exposure at zero. However, the agency has set its groundwater limit at 5 parts per billion, the lowest that existing technology can reasonably remove TCE.

SOURCE: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency national drinking water regulations, lawsuit allegations

More