Vinyl chloride (VC) was used as a propellant in some aerosol hairspray products in the U.S. from 1967 to 1973.

It has been questioned whether historical occupational exposures of hairdressers to VC containing hairsprays was sufficient to increase the risk for hepatic angiosarcoma (HAS).

ChemRisk was asked to review the historical literature and use multizone industrial hygiene indoor air models to estimate airborne VC concentrations in residential, small, medium and large salons.

A Monte Carlo uncertainty and sensitivity analysis was conducted to characterize the range of possible results and understand the magnitude of effect of the various parameters.

The parameters considered included fraction of products containing VC, duration of use, VC weight content in the products, salon volume, salon ventilation characteristics, mass of hairspray applied, hairspray generation rate, probability of a hairspray event, and random air speed.

Estimated lifetime doses were below the threshold dose for HAS reported in the published literature.