Needs for public health intervention and needs for new research on vinyl halides and their polymers: a public policy perspective.

Consideration of needs for public health interventions and new research requires comparative assessments of the health benefits that are likely to result from alternative uses of limited regulatory and technical resources. This paper briefly examines regulatory and research priorities in the light of recent information on the carcinogenic hazards of vinyl chloride and alkyl and vinyl halides related to vinyl chloride, the respiratory-system hazards of poly (vinyl chloride), and the reproductive hazards of vinyl chloride. Specific suggestions are made for relatively promising types of efforts in these areas.