A chemical compound (also called vinyl chloride) made from ethylene and chlorine, used primarily to manufacture polyvinyl chloride (PVC) plastic.
From 'chloro-' (chlorine) + 'ethylene' (a simple hydrocarbon). The compound was first synthesized in the 1830s but its industrial importance wasn't realized until the mid-20th century.
Vinyl chloride monomers are the building blocks of PVC, but inhaling the vapors causes a horrible disease called 'Raynaud's syndrome of vinyl workers'—factory workers' fingers would literally turn white and tissue would die from the inside out until strict regulations were enacted.
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