Vinyl chloride is a colorless gas that is produced industrially for its commercial uses. The primary use of vinyl chloride is to make polyvinyl chloride (PVC), a hard plastic resin used to make a variety of plastic products, including pipes, wire and cable coatings, and packaging materials. PVC is not a known or suspected carcinogen. Vinyl chloride is also used to make vehicle upholstery, plastic kitchenware, and consumer goods such as credit cards and water distribution systems. In the past, vinyl chloride was used as a refrigerant, as an extraction solvent for heat-sensitive materials, in the production of chloroacetaldehyde, as an aerosol propellant, and in some cosmetics, but these uses were banned in the United States. Vinyl chloride can be found in measurable quantities near manufacturing and processing plants, hazardous waste sites, and landfills. It is also present in tobacco smoke and can be formed in the environment when soil organisms break down "chlorinated" solvents. Most exposure to vinyl chloride occurs when people breathe contaminated air, but if a water supply is contaminated, vinyl chloride can enter household air when the water is used for showering, cooking, or laundry.