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more_legal_areas vinyl-chlorideThe Department of Health and Human Services has determined vinyl chloride is a known carcinogen, the International Agency for Research on Cancer has determined vinyl chloride is a carcinogen to humans and the EPA has determined vinyl chloride is a human carcinogen. All vinyl chloride is man-made, and most of the vinyl chloride produced in the United States is used to make polyvinyl chloride. The majority of vinyl chloride that enters the environment comes from the plastics industries that make a variety of products like pipes, wire and cable coatings and packaging materials.
Despite studies indicting vinyl chloride can damage the liver, lungs and kidneys, production of vinyl chloride in the United States has grown an average of seven percent from the early 1980s to the early 1990s. Additional increases of approximately 22 percent between the years of 1992 and 1993 means there are more products in homes, hospitals, cars, and in toys and food and beverage packaging containing polyvinyl chloride then in the past. Approximately 75 percent of all polyvinyl chloride manufactured today is used in building materials in homes, and studies have found people exposed to polyvinyl chloride in building interiors had significantly elevated risks of asthma, wheezing and pneumonia.
Polyvinyl chloride is the only major plastic that contains chlorine, so it''s even more unique in the hazards it creates. Chlorine used in industrial processes to make polyvinyl chlorine plastic, or products made with polyvinyl chlorine burned as trash, makes a dangerous by-product called dioxin, a known human carcinogen. Dioxin exposure in children has been associated with IQ deficits, delays in psychomotor and neurodevelopment and altered behavior including hyperactivity.
The reproductive, developmental, immune and endocrine systems in both animals and humans are compromised because of dioxin exposure. Due to the chemical properties of chlorine, the by-products of polyvinyl chlorine production are much more toxic, more persistent in the environment and more likely to build up in the food supply and the bodies of people than similar chemical not containing chlorine.
Polyvinyl chlorine also presents serious dangers when used because chemical plasticizers are added to make some plastics soft and flexible, which are prone to leaching. The most common of the plasticizers, DEHP, is a suspected carcinogen found in medical devices like IV bags and tubing, and the inclusion of the chemical makes polyvinyl chloride recycling impossible. The federal Center for Disease Control found children have the highest levels of DEHLP in their bodies, which is a known developmental and reproductive toxin.
Cost-effective alternatives to polyvinyl chloride are readily available in most applications, according to experts. Since the mid 1970s, the use of vinyl chloride in things like coolant, a propellant in spray cans and in some cosmetics has been eliminated, but risks exist everywhere. Many countries in the European Union, as a result, are looking at banning polyvinyl chloride in certain products like children’s toys. Groups like the GrassRoots Recycling, Greenpeace and Center for Health, Environment & Justice have taken action in the U.S. to get manufacturers to go polyvinyl chloride free.
Some companies have agreed to phase out polyvinyl chloride, but a lot more work must be done to eliminate the human hazard. Consumers can either check labels or call a manufacturer to see what products are made with polyvinyl chloride, and letting manufacturers know if you would like to see safer alternatives used can help apply pressure to implement changes.
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