Oxyvinyls La Porte, Texas

This plant makes vinyl chloride monomer (VCM), the key chemical precursor to polyvinyl chloride (PVC), a common and inexpensive plastic material used in pipes, and thousands of industrial and consumer products. VCM is made by combining ethylene, which comes from refineries, and chlorine, which comes from salt brine. This is one of a few petrochemical plants in the region operated by OxyChemical, based in Dallas, and owned by the Occidental Petroleum Company.