Getting Rid of the PVC Plastic that is Polluting your Home
PVC may seem an innocent part of your household. In fact, chances are that you use PVC each and every day, or at least come across it on a regular basis. What is PVC and why is it so harmful? PVC stands for polyvinyl chloride. In other words, PVC is what you would most of the time refer to as vinyl. Unfortunately, there are many negative outcomes that can arise from the frequent use of PVCs, several environmental agencies and organizations warn.
PVC is often referred to as one of the most popular plastics. Indeed, it is estimated that PVC is actually the second most popular plastic in the world in terms of usage. However, simply because a product or material is widely used does not mean that it is automatically safe. PVC is recognized by many environmental watchdog organizations as one of the most dangerous PVCs currently in use.
Just why is PVC so dangerous? PVC is widely perceived to be one of the more dangerous plastics because it is believed to be one of the world’s largest sources of dioxin. What are dioxins and what makes them so dangerous? Dioxins are essentially made when PVC plastic is being burned up in incinerators. This can occur when this happens in household stoves, in accidental fires that may occur in vehicles or in buildings, or simply in open-air trash burning that still occurs in many places, especially in rural areas.
Dioxins are essentially a by-product of the manufacturing process that creates PVC. Most production of PVC is rich in dioxins, as well as a handful of other very toxin contaminants. This is because most PVC products contain many different chemical additives. Unfortunately, despite all we know about the dangers of PVC use and burning it, PVC continues unabated as one of the world’s most popular users of industrial chorine. Despite everything that researchers have learned about the dangers of building with PVC, the manufacturing machine continues unabated, using the same contaminant ingredients that have always been used.
The use of PVC really took off in the 1960s, when plastics were all the rage. Eventually, the use of industrial chlorine was curtailed beginning in the 1960s. However, it appears that the chloral kali industry has increased their production of chlorine-rich manufacturing, especially in sectors in Asia and Latin America.
Plastic continues its reign as one of the most popular material. It has long replaced many other materials that were once popular, including metal, glass, ceramics, woods, and other materials that were once popular as well as much less problematic in terms of environmental damage.
In recent years, the largest use of most PVCs still occurs in building materials. This means that PVC are used in the most common household building materials, including doors, walls, cables, window frames, wastewater pipes, vinyl floor, vinyl wallpaper, shower curtains, and window blinds. Clearly, PVCs in all its forms continue to be a major part of the average American household, even though many of these ingredients have been banned in other countries where they were deemed to dangerous to build with.
Moreover, PVCs are no longer to be found in mostly industrial settings. PVCs are also used to make common, every day consumer goods such as records, credit cards, furniture, folders, binders, pens, toys, and in the under seal of many new vehicles. PVCs are also commonly used for wire insulation as an imitation for leather. They are also widely used to make many medical supplies, including the medical disposables that are often used inmost hospital. PVCs can also be commonly found in the ingredients used to create many pieces of garden furniture.