Dangers of PVC
March 18, 2008 by Peggy
This week I’m going to do a few posts involving PVC. It’s not exactly a fun topic, but I think it’s important. First, obviously, I’m going to talk about why PVC is considered dangerous. Then we’ll discuss a so-called green product made of PVC (hello?!). And then we’ll talk about one cool little PVC-free company.
PVC (polyvinyl chloride), recognized by the recycling symbol 3, is very difficult to recycle and usually ends up in a landfill. Most recycling centers won’t accept it. Less than three percent of PVC is recycled, and some estimates put that number at less than one percent! That’s really unfortunate, but it’s not even the main problem.
Communities surrounding factories that make products containing PVC are suffering from groundwater and air pollution. But you don’t have to live near a factory to experience effects from PVC. It leaches out of materials. It’s that new car and vinyl shower curtain smell. When children chew on vinyl toys like rubber ducks, they can be exposed to dangerous phthalates. PVC also gives the gift of dioxins when it is produced, recycled or burned. Dioxins are bad, bad.
You can read more about the health and environmental dangers of PVC at www.besafe.net, a website of the Center for Health, Environment and Justice (CHEJ).
When alternatives are readily available, why use something that releases chemicals linked to cancer and birth defects? (Source for PVC dangers info is CHEJ).
Several large companies have already developed PVC phase-out plans, meaning they will sell far fewer products (and packaging) containing PVC. Some of these companies include Wal-Mart, Honda, Microsoft, Mattel and Sony, among others.
CHEJ gives you 10 ways to take action, including purchasing PVC-free products. CHEJ also discusses Safe Products and suggests contacting the manufacturer if in doubt. So, check it out. Green blogging friend Rebecca of Green Baby Guide also has a post up today about avoiding plastic toys. And she recommended a great blog featuring BPA-free baby gear news and reviews: The Soft Landing Blog. I added it under Shop Green in the blogroll.
And please come back soon for a discussion on a “green” product made of PVC.
Thanks for this article, Peggy. I guess great minds think alike: today we have a “How to Avoid Plastic Toys” article up! Also, have you heard of http://thesoftlanding.wordpress.com/? This website reviews all sorts of plastic products for babies and kids and comes up with lists of safe and not-safe pacifiers, sippy cups, bottles . . . and even rubber duckies. It’s a very handy resource.
Rebecca, thanks for the additional link about avoiding plastic toys. I added it to the post along with a link to your post for today.
Again more propaganda without any conclusive Scientific evidence!! Please, just stop before you speak and cite websites such as CHEJ. They are nothing more than fear-mongers who keep up this “holier than thou” appearance when they have ZERO factual evidence supporting their claims.
Here are some FACTS from the EPA:
-the production of PVC accounts for 0.4% percent of all dioxin emissions. Cement and metal production accounts for more than this at 1% and 2% respectively, which is also very low. 67% of all dioxins are caused by the burning of wood! Are you going to start saying that building with wood is bad?
-As the production of PVC has increased over the past 40 years, there has been an inverse correlation to the reduction of dioxins emitted into the atmosphere. How can you even say that PVC is a major cause of dioxins? It’s just not true. In fact, the mere use of PVC has lead to a decrease in dioxins in the atmosphere.
All I ask is that you gather your own information for CREDIBLE sources and stop believing the LIES that large companies behind the scenes are creating. Particularly those companies who make competitive products to PVC that are just as harmful and less recyclable such as rubber and TPO. Just a thought.
Thank you
Pat, I don’t think the EPA said ” the mere use of PVC has lead to a decrease in dioxins in the atmosphere.” Here are some quotes directly from EPA’s website. I’ll give you a link too.
Cross-Media Emissions – Vinyl Chloride
In 2002, EPA developed a multimedia chemical targeting approach utilizing public health and environmental data to identify potential candidates for enforcement. Using this approach, EPA selected six chemicals, one of which was vinyl chloride (VC) an odorless gas. VC is an ozone precursor and known carcinogen that is also linked to neurological disorders. To reduce the total amount of vinyl chloride entering the environment, EPA increased enforcement against the polyvinyl chloride manufacturing industry, which is responsible for the majority of vinyl chloride emissions in the United States.
Enforcement and Compliance Assurance: Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC) Manufacturing Plants
EPA is actively pursuing enforcement actions against PVC manufacturers under the Clean Air Act (CAA), the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA), the Clean Water Act (CWA), and the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act (EPCRA). EPA’s enforcement activities in the PVC manufacturing sector focus on achieving compliance with environmental laws and on reducing the total amount of vinyl chloride entering the environment, regardless of the environmental pathway.
http://www.epa.gov/compliance/civil/multimedia/index.html
You might as well stop eating while you are at it! Virtually every single commercially produced animal and vegetable product you purchase is transported on a PVC conveyor belt. Your eggs, lettuce, peas, olives, grapes, raw chicken, almonds, dough, walnuts, candy, carrots, ground beef, cheese, oranges, peppers and a whole lot more are ALL moving from producer to consumer on PVC conveyors. PVC touches everything you eat, and the components in the PVC (including phthalates) are all approved by the US FDA. Cheers!
It seems to me, at least what I gathered from the EPA’s website, that it’s the VC in PVC that is harmful. The EPA is “backtracking” to the source of these harmful emissions and that, in this case, is vinyl chloride (VC).