1,2-Dichloroethane, also called ethylene dichloride (EDC), is a manufactured chemical that is not found naturally in the environment. It is used principally to synthesize vinyl chloride, which is further used to produce a variety of vinyl based plastics products, such as polyvinyl chloride (PVC) pipes, furniture, automobile upholstery, wall coverings, housewares, and automobile parts. It is used in solvents in closed systems for various extraction and cleaning purposes in organic synthesis. It is used as a leaded gasoline additive to remove lead, but with declining tendency. It is used as a dispersant in rubber and plastics, as a wetting and penetrating agent. It was used in ore flotation, as a metal degreaser, and in textile and PVC cleaning. It was also used as an insect fumigant for stored grains and in mushroom houses, a soil fumigant in peach and apple orchards. But due to its toxicity, it is no longer registered for use as an insect fumigant in the United States (IARC 1999).
