Hepatic Disease Among Workers at a Vinyl Chloride Polymerization Plant

Eleven cases of hepatic disease, including seven cases of hepatic angiosarcoma, have been identified to date among men employed at one vinyl chloride polymerization plant. The earliest diagnosis was made in April 1964. The two most recent cases, both angiosarcoma, were diagnosed in February 1974 as a result of systematic medical screening for liver abnormalities among workers at the plant. Ages at diagnosis have ranged from 36 to 58 years for the seven patients with angiosarcoma and from 28 to 56 years for the four patients with nonmalignant disease; durations of employment before diagnosis have ranged from 12 to 28 years and from 5 to 29 years. All 11 persons had worked in close and continuous contact with various phases of the vinyl chloride polymerization process. Review of pathologic material suggests the presence in both tumor and nontumor cases of portal fibrosis and atypical sinusoidal lining cells. A direct causal relationship between exposure to vinyl chloride monomer and pathologic findings is postulated.(JAMA 230:59-63, 1974)