Blends of poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC) with different ratios of chlorinated polyethylene (CPE) were degradated by the thermogravimetric method under dynamic conditions (50-600 degrees C) in an inert atmosphere. The effect of the miscibility and composition of the PVC/CPE blends on the thermal stability were investigated. DSC curves of the blends show neither a shift of the PVC glass transition temperature nor a shift of the CPE melting temperature, which means that these blends are heterogeneous. The characteristics of the TG curves were determined, some of which (T-1%, T-5%, Delta m(1)) can be used as indicators of the thermal stability of the blend. The apparent activation energy of PVC dehydrochlorination in the blends was also calculated. Comparison of the experimental TG curves and TG curves predicted by the additivity rule indicates the existence of the components' interaction in the PVC/CPE blends. The addition of CPE improves the thermal stability of PVC for all the investigated blends in the temperature range where alpha(calc) is greater than alpha(exp).