Vinyl Chloride: National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants (NESHAP)
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Rule Summary
Most of the vinyl chloride produced in the United States is used to make polyvinyl chloride (PVC), a material used to manufacture a variety of plastic and vinyl products including pipes, wire and cable coatings, and packaging materials. Smaller amounts of vinyl chloride are used in furniture and automobile upholstery, wall coverings, housewares, and automotive parts. Vinyl chloride has been used in the past as a refrigerant.
The purpose of the national emission standard for hazardous air pollutants (NESHAP) is to minimize vinyl chloride emissions from process and fugitive emission sources in ethylene dichloride, vinyl chloride and polyvinyl chloride production categories to the level attainable with best available control technology.
These rules were developed to protect public health by minimizing the health risks to the people living in the vicinity of these plants and to any additional people who are exposed as a result of new construction.
EPA decided to regulate vinyl chloride because it has been implicated as the causal agent of angiosarcoma and other serious disorders, both carcinogenic and noncarcinogenic.
See the regulations below for more details.
Rule History
07/10/1990 - Final Rule
09/21/1989 - Proposed Rule
09/30/1986 - Final Rule
01/09/1985 - Proposed Rule and Notice of Public Hearing
09/08/1982 - Vinyl Chloride Test Methods Final Rule
06/07/1977 - Correction and Amendments to the Rule
12/03/1976 - Correction to the Rule
10/21/1976 - Final Rule
12/24/1975 - Proposed Rule
Additional Resources
View the supporting documents in the docket folder to find additional related documents to this rule.
Related Rules
Compliance
Applicability Determination Index (ADI). The ADI is maintained by EPA's Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance (OECA) and provides a data base of memoranda dealing with applicability issues. The database is searchable by Subpart.