Vinyl products found safe, environmentally sound

The effects of vinyl products on health and the environment have been investigated at every stage from manufacture through use and final disposal and have been shown to be safe and environmentally sound, according to Vinyl Institute president Tim Burns, in a letter correcting misinformation published recently in the Virginia daily Roanoke Times.

The effects of vinyl products on health and the environment have been investigated at every stage from manufacture through use and final disposal and have been shown to be safe and environmentally sound, according to
Vinyl Institute president Tim Burns, in a letter correcting misinformation published recently in the Virginia daily Roanoke Times.

“Vinyl (PVC) has been used safely for years in household, health care and building applications,” Burns writes.

Burns addressed two particular misperceptions frequently cited as fact by pressure groups, despite overwhelming evidence that they are untrue.

One is the claim that the production of vinyl or PVC is a major contributor to dioxin in the environment. Burns notes that according to the US Environmental Protection Agency, the actual percentage is tiny. As further evidence, he points out that as vinyl production has soared over the past 20 years, dioxin emissions to the environment have actually plunged by 90 percent.

The other false claim addressed by Burns is that the phthalates used to make some vinyl products more flexible can be harmful to consumers. Burns notes that the Consumer Product Safety Commission specifically studied the use of phthalates in vinyl toys and found that they were not harmful.

The headline above Burns’ letter, published October 16, notes: “Agencies have found vinyl is safe to use.”

Further information on the safety of vinyl and/or PVC products can be found at www.vinylnewsservice.com. Information on the safety of phthalates can be found at www.phthalates.org.



For more information contact John Brown of Vinyl News Service (http://www.vinylnewsservice.net/)
1-877-234-9749

Keywords: PVC, vinyl, environment

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