Polyvinyl chloride

Polyvinyl chloride, (IUPAC Polychloroethene) commonly abbreviated PVC, is a widely used thermoplastic polymer. The International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry ( IUPAC) (aɪjuːpæk or ay-yoo-pec) is an international Non-governmental organization A thermoplastic is a Plastic that Melts to a liquid when heated and freezes to a Brittle, very Glassy state when cooled sufficiently A polymer is a large Molecule ( Macromolecule) composed of repeating Structural units typically connected by Covalent Chemical bonds In terms of revenue generated, it is one of the most valuable products of the chemical industry. In business revenue or revenues is Income that a company receives from its normal business activities usually from the sale of goods and services The chemical industry comprises the companies that produce industrial chemicals Around the world, over 50% of PVC manufactured is used in construction. As a building material, PVC is cheap, durable, and easy to assemble. In recent years, PVC has been replacing traditional building materials such as wood, concrete and clay in many areas. For other kinds of building materials see Hardware, Biology, Star formation. Wood is hard fibrous lignified structural tissue produced as secondary Xylem in the stems of Woody plants notably trees but also shrubs Concrete is a construction material composed of Cement (commonly Portland cement) as well as other cementitious materials such as Fly ash and Slag Clay is a naturally occurring material composed primarily of fine-grained Minerals which show plasticity through a variable range of Water content, and

Polyvinyl chloride is used in a variety of applications. As a hard plastic, it is used as vinyl siding, magnetic stripe cards, window profiles, gramophone records (which is the source of the term vinyl records), pipe, plumbing and conduit fixtures. Vinyl siding is an alternative to aluminum siding Fiber cement siding, and timber Siding. A magnetic stripe card is a type of card capable of storing Data by modifying the Magnetism of tiny iron-based magnetic particles on a band of magnetic material A gramophone A gramophone A pipe is a tube or hollow cylinder used to convey materials or as a structural component Plumbing, from the Latin plumbum for Lead, is the skilled trade of working with pipes, tubing and Plumbing fixtures for The material is often used in Plastic Pressure Pipe Systems for pipelines in the water and sewer industries because of its inexpensive nature and flexibility. Plastic pressure pipe systems are used for the conveyance of Drinking water, Waste water, Chemicals, heating and cooling fluids foodstuffs ultra-pure Pipeline transport is the transportation of goods through a pipe. Water supply is the process of self-provision or provision by third parties of water of various qualities to different users Sewage is the mainly liquid Waste containing some solids produced by humans which typically consists of washing water Feces, Urine, laundry waste and other PVC pipe plumbing is typically white, as opposed to ABS, which is commonly available in grey and black, as well as white. Acrylonitrile butadiene styrene or ABS, ( Chemical formula (C8H8· C4H6·C3H3Nn is

It can be made softer and more flexible by the addition of plasticizers, the most widely-used being phthalates. Plasticizers are additives that increase the Plasticity or Fluidity of the material to which they are added these include plastics cement concrete wallboard and Phthalates, or phthalate esters, are esters of Phthalic acid and are mainly used as Plasticizers (substances added to Plastics to increase their In this form, it is used in clothing and upholstery, and to make flexible hoses and tubing, flooring, to roofing membranes, and electrical cable insulation. Clothing (also called clothes, accoutrements, accouterments, or habiliments) protects the Human body from extreme Weather Upholstery is the work of providing Furniture, especially seats with Padding, springs Webbing, and fabric or Leather A hose is a hollow tube designed to carry Fluids from one location to another Vinyl composition tile (VCT is a finished Flooring material used primarily in commercial and institutional applications

Preparation

Polyvinyl chloride is produced by polymerization of the monomer vinyl chloride, as shown. A monomer (from Greek mono "one" and meros "part" is a small Molecule that may become chemically bonded to other Vinyl chloride is the Organic compound with the formula CH2CHCl Since about 57% of its mass is chlorine, creating a given mass of PVC requires less petroleum than many other polymers. Chlorine (ˈklɔriːn from the Greek word 'χλωρóς' ( khlôros, meaning 'pale green' is the Chemical element with Atomic number 17 and Petroleum ( L petroleum, from Greek πετρέλαιον, lit

History

Polyvinyl chloride was accidentally discovered on at least two different occasions in the 19th century, first in 1835 by Henri Victor Regnault and in 1872 by Eugen Baumann. Henri Victor Regnault ( July 21, 1810 – January 19, 1878) was a French chemist and physicist best known for his careful measurements Eugen Baumann ( December 12, 1846 &ndash November 3, 1896) was a German Chemist. On both occasions, the polymer appeared as a white solid inside flasks of vinyl chloride that had been left exposed to sunlight. A polymer is a large Molecule ( Macromolecule) composed of repeating Structural units typically connected by Covalent Chemical bonds Vinyl chloride is the Organic compound with the formula CH2CHCl In the early 20th century, the Russian chemist Ivan Ostromislensky and Fritz Klatte of the German chemical company Griesheim-Elektron both attempted to use PVC (polyvinyl chloride) in commercial products, but difficulties in processing the rigid, sometimes brittle polymer blocked their efforts. Fritz Klatte ( 28 March 1880 &ndash 11 February 1934) was a German Chemist and the discoverer of Polyvinyl acetate, with In 1926, Waldo Semon and the B.F. Goodrich Company developed a method to plasticize PVC by blending it with various additives. Year 1926 ( MCMXXVI) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Waldo Lonsbury Semon ( September 10, 1898 &ndash May 26, 1999) was a renowned American inventor born in. Goodrich Corporation (formerly the BF Goodrich Company), is an American Aerospace manufacturing company based in Charlotte North Carolina The result was a more flexible and more easily-processed material that soon achieved widespread commercial use.

Applications

Electric wires

PVC is commonly used as the insulation on electric wires; the plastic used for this purpose needs to be plasticized. Plasticizers are additives that increase the Plasticity or Fluidity of the material to which they are added these include plastics cement concrete wallboard and In a fire, PVC-coated wires can form HCl fumes; the chlorine serves to scavenge free radicals and is the source of the material's fire retardance. In Chemistry, radicals (often referred to as free radicals) are atoms molecules or ions with Unpaired electrons on an otherwise Open shell A fire retardant is a substance that helps to delay or prevent Combustion. While HCl fumes can also pose a health hazard in their own right, HCl breaks down on surfaces, particularly in areas where the air is cool enough to breathe, and is not available for inhalation. ^[2] Frequently in applications where smoke is a major hazard (notably in tunnels) PVC-free LSOH (low-smoke, zero-halogen) cable insulation is used. Low smoke zero halogen (LSZH or LSOH is a type of cable jacketing used in the manufacture of industrial and network cabling The applicable building code should be consulted to determine the type of electrical wires approved for the intended use. A building code, or building control, is a set of rules that specify the minimum acceptable level of safety for constructed objects such as Buildings and Nonbuilding

Pipes

PVC pipes in use with intumescent firestops at Nortown Casitas, North York, Ontario. An intumescent is a substance which swells as a result of Heat exposure thus increasing in Volume, and decreasing in Density. A firestop is a Passive fire protection System of various components used to seal openings and joints in fire-resistance rated wall North York forms the central part of the northern half of Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

Polyvinyl chloride is also widely used for producing pipes. In the water distribution market it accounts for 66 percent of the market in the US, and in sanitary sewer pipe applications, it accounts for 75 percent. ^[3] Its light weight, high strength, and low reactivity make it particularly well-suited to this purpose. In addition, PVC pipes can be fused together using various solvent cements, creating permanent joints that are virtually impervious to leakage. Despite PVC's many advantages, in cases where very high strength or ease of disassembly is necessary, metal pipes are still preferred.

In February 2007, the California Building Standards Code was updated to approve the use of chlorinated polyvinyl chloride (CPVC) pipe for use in residential water supply piping systems. CPVC has been a nationally-accepted material in the US since 1982; however, California has only permitted its use on a limited basis since 2001. The Department of Housing and Community Development prepared and certified an Environmental Impact Report resulting in a recommendation that the Commission adopt and approve the use of CPVC. The Commission's vote was unanimous and CPVC will be placed in the 2007 California Plumbing Code. ^[4]

Portable Electronic Accessories

PVC is finding increased use as a composite for the production of accessories or housings for portable electronics. Through a fusing process, it can adopt cleaning properties possessed by materials such as wool or cotton which can absorb dust particles and bacteria. Its inherent ability to absorb particles from the LCD screen and its form fitting characteristics make it effective.

Signs

In flat sheet form, polyvinyl chloride is formed in a variety of thicknesses and colors. As flat sheets, PVC is often expanded to create voids in the interior of the material, providing additional thickness without additional weight and cost. Sheets are cut using saw and rotary cutting equipment (see CNC). The abbreviation CNC stands for computer numerical control, and refers specifically to a computer "controller" that reads G-code Plasticized PVC is also used to produce thin, colored, or clear, adhesive-backed films referred to simply as vinyl. These films are typically cut on a computer-controlled plotter or printed in a wide-format printer. A plotter is a Vector graphics printing device that connects to a Computer. Wide-format printers (also called "plotters" are generally accepted to be any printer with a print width between 17" and 100" These sheets and films are used to produce a wide variety of commercial signage products and markings on vehicles. Commercial signage identifies a business or similar entity assists in Wayfinding and attracts customers

Unplasticized polyvinyl chloride (uPVC)

Modern "Tudorbethan" house with uPVC gutters and downpipes, fascia, decorative imitation "half-timbering", windows and doors. Timber framing (Fachwerk or Half-timbering, is the method of creating framed structures of heavy timber jointed together with pegged Mortise and tenon joints

uPVC or Rigid PVC is often used in the building industry as a low-maintenance material, particularly in the UK, and in the USA where it is known as vinyl, or vinyl siding. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Vinyl siding is an alternative to aluminum siding Fiber cement siding, and timber Siding. ^[5][6]. The material comes in a range of colors and finishes, including a photo-effect wood finish, and is used as a substitute for painted wood, mostly for window frames and sills when installing double glazing in new buildings, or to replace older single glazed windows. GlassWindowjpg|thumb|right|190px|A stained glass panel depicting Biblical scenes at a historic church in Scotland]] A window is an opening Insulated Glazing Unit or Insulating Glass Unit (commonly referred to as IGU) is a set of two or more sheets of glass spaced apart and Hermetically sealed It has many other uses including fascia, and siding or weatherboarding. Fascia is a term which generally describes any vertical surface which spans across the top of columns or across the top of a wall. This article is about the house covering See Rail siding for an alternative usage of this term Weatherboarding is the Cladding or ‘ Siding ’ of a house consisting of long thin timber boards that overlap one another either vertically or horizontally on the The same material has almost entirely replaced the use of cast iron for plumbing and drainage, being used for waste pipes, drainpipes, gutters and downpipes. Cast iron usually refers to grey cast iron, but identifies a large group of Ferrous Alloys which solidify with a Eutectic. Plumbing, from the Latin plumbum for Lead, is the skilled trade of working with pipes, tubing and Plumbing fixtures for Drainage is the natural or artificial removal of surface and sub-surface water from a given area A rain gutter (also known as eaves trough, guttering or simply as a gutter) is a narrow channel or trough forming the component of a Roof system ^[7]

Due to environmental concerns^[8] use of PVC is discouraged by some local authorities^[9] in countries such as Germany and The Netherlands. Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany ( ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant is a Country in Central Europe. The Netherlands ( Dutch:, ˈnedərlɑnt is the European part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, which consists of the Netherlands the Netherlands This concerns both flexible PVC and rigid uPVC as not only the plasticizers in PVC are a problem but also the emissions from manufacturing and disposal. The use of modern impact modifiers offer great stability. The issues of migration and brittleness of the PVC compound are overcome.

Health and safety

Phthalate plasticizers

Many vinyl products contain additional chemicals to change the chemical consistency of the product. Some of these additional chemicals called additives can leach out of vinyl products. Plasticizers that must be added to make PVC flexible have been an additive of particular concern. Plasticizers are additives that increase the Plasticity or Fluidity of the material to which they are added these include plastics cement concrete wallboard and

Because soft PVC toys have been made for babies for years, there are concerns that these additives leach out of soft toys into the mouths of the children chewing on them. Additionally, adult sex toys have been demonstrated to leach significant additives. A sex toy is an object or device that is primarily used in facilitating human sexual pleasure. How safe is your sex toy?. Retrieved on 2008-05-15. 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common Events 1252 - Pope Innocent IV issues the Papal bull Ad exstirpanda, which authorizes but also limits the In January 2006, the European Union placed a ban on six types of phthalate softeners, including DEHP (diethylhexyl phthalate), used in toys (See directive 2005/84/EC). Bis(2-ethylhexylphthalate, commonly abbreviated DEHP is an Organic compound with the formula C6H4(CO2C8H172 In the USA most companies have voluntarily stopped manufacturing PVC toys with DEHP and in 2003 the US Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) denied a petition for a ban on PVC toys made with an alternative plasticizer, DINP (diisononyl phthalate). ^[10] In April 2006, the European Chemicals Bureau of the European Commission published an assessment of DINP which found risk "unlikely" for children and newborns. The Toxicology and Chemical Substances ( TCS) that is the focal point for data and the assessment procedure on dangerous Chemicals within the European Union The European Commission (formally the Commission of the European Communities) is the executive branch of the European Union. ^[11]

Vinyl IV bags used in neo-natal intensive care units have also been shown to leach DEHP. Intravenous therapy or IV therapy is the giving of Liquid substances directly into a Vein. Intensive Care Medicine or critical care medicine is a branch of medicine concerned with the provision of Life support or organ support systems in patients In a draft guidance paper published in September 2002, the US FDA recognizes that many medical devices with PVC containing DEHP are not used in ways that result in significant human exposure to the chemical[1]. However, FDA is suggesting that manufacturers consider eliminating the use of DEHP in certain devices that can result in high aggregate exposures for sensitive patient populations such as neonates.

Other vinyl products, including car interiors, shower curtains, flooring, initially release chemical gases into the air. Temperature and layers The temperature of the Earth's atmosphere varies with altitude the mathematical relationship between temperature and altitude varies among five Some studies indicate that this outgassing of additives may contribute to health complications, but this information is preliminary, and further study is needed. Outgassing (sometimes called offgassing, particularly when in reference to indoor Air quality is the slow release of a Gas that was trapped

In 2004, a joint Swedish-Danish research team found a statistical association between allergies in children and indoor air levels of DEHP and BBzP (butyl benzyl phthalate), which is used in vinyl flooring. Benzylbutylphthalate ( BBzP) also called n -butyl benzyl phthalate ( BBP) or benzyl butyl phthalate, is a Phthalate, ^[12] In December 2006, the European Chemicals Bureau of the European Commission released a final draft risk assessment of BBzP which found "no concern" for consumer exposure including exposure to children. ^[13]

In November 2005, one of the largest hospital networks in the U. S. , Catholic Healthcare West, signed a contract with B. Catholic Healthcare West ( CHW) is a California not-for-profit public benefit corporation that operates hospitals in California, Arizona Braun for vinyl-free intravenous bags and tubing. Intravenous therapy or IV therapy is the giving of Liquid substances directly into a Vein. ^[14] According to the Center for Health, Environment & Justice in Falls Church, VA, which helps to coordinate a "precautionary" " PVC Campaign", several major corporations including Microsoft, Wal-Mart, and Kaiser Permanente announced efforts to eliminate PVC from products and packaging in 2005. Falls Church is an Independent city in Virginia, United States. Microsoft Corporation is an American multinational Computer technology Corporation, which rose to dominate the Home computer Wal-Mart Stores Inc (or Walmart as written in its new logo is an American public corporation that runs a chain of large discount department stores Kaiser Permanente is an integrated Managed care organization based in Oakland California, founded in 1945 by industrialist Henry J Even Target is reducing its sale of items with PVC. (http://besafenet.com/pvc/newsreleases/target_to_reduce_use.htm)

The FDA Paper titled "Safety Assessment of Di(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate (DEHP)Released from PVC Medical Devices" states that [3. 2. 1. 3] Critically ill or injured patients may be at increased risk of developing adverse health effects from DEHP, not only by virtue of increased exposure, relative to the general population, but also because of the physiological and pharmacodynamic changes that occur in these patients, compared to healthy individuals. ^[15]

Vinyl chloride monomer

In the late 1960s, Dr. Year 1960 ( MCMLX) was a Leap year starting on Friday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. John Creech and Dr. Maurice Johnson were the first to clearly link and recognize the carcinogenicity of vinyl chloride monomer to humans when workers in the polyvinyl chloride polymerization section of a B. Vinyl chloride is the Organic compound with the formula CH2CHCl F. Goodrich plant near Louisville, Kentucky, were diagnosed with liver angiosarcoma also known as hemangiosarcoma, a rare disease. Hemangiosarcoma is a Malignant, rare rapidly growing highly invasive variety of Cancer. Hemangiosarcoma is a Malignant, rare rapidly growing highly invasive variety of Cancer. ^[16] Since that time, studies of PVC workers in Australia, Italy, Germany, and the UK have all associated certain types of occupational cancers with exposure to vinyl chloride. The link between angiosarcoma of the liver and long-term exposure to vinyl chloride is the only one that has been confirmed by the International Agency for Research on Cancer. All the cases of angiosarcoma developed from exposure to vinyl chloride monomer, were in workers who were exposed to very high VCM levels, routinely, for many years.

A 1997 U. S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) report concluded that the development and acceptance by the PVC industry of a closed loop polymerization process in the late 1970s "almost completely eliminated worker exposures" and that "new cases of hepatic angiosarcoma in vinyl chloride polymerization workers have been virtually eliminated. "^[17]

According to the EPA, "vinyl chloride emissions from polyvinyl chloride (PVC), ethylene dichloride (EDC), and vinyl chloride monomer (VCM) plants cause or contribute to air pollution that may reasonably be anticipated to result in an increase in mortality or an increase in serious irreversible, or incapacitating reversible illness. Vinyl chloride is the Organic compound with the formula CH2CHCl Vinyl chloride is a known human carcinogen that causes a rare cancer of the liver. "^[18] EPA's 2001 updated Toxicological Profile and Summary Health Assessment for VCM in its Integrated Risk Information System (IRIS) database lowers EPA's previous risk factor estimate by a factor of 20 and concludes that "because of the consistent evidence for liver cancer in all the studies. . . and the weaker association for other sites, it is concluded that the liver is the most sensitive site, and protection against liver cancer will protect against possible cancer induction in other tissues. "^[19]

A 1998 front-page series in the Houston Chronicle claimed the vinyl industry has manipulated vinyl chloride studies to avoid liability for worker exposure and to hide extensive and severe chemical spills into local communities. The Houston Chronicle is the largest daily Newspaper in Texas, USA. ^[20] Retesting of community residents in 2001 by the U. S. Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) found dioxin levels similar to those in a comparison community in Louisiana and to the U. S. population. ^[21] Cancer rates in the community were similar to Louisiana and US averages. ^[22]

Dioxins

The environmentalist group Greenpeace has advocated the global phase-out of PVC because they claim dioxin is produced as a byproduct of vinyl chloride manufacture and from incineration of waste PVC in domestic garbage. Greenpeace, originally known as the Greenpeace Foundation, was founded in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada in 1972 Not to be confused with Dioxane or Digoxin. Dioxin is a heterocyclic, organic, antiaromatic compound Vinyl chloride is the Organic compound with the formula CH2CHCl The European Industry, however, asserts that it has improved production processes to minimize dioxin emissions. Dioxins are a global health threat because they persist in the environment and can travel long distances. At very low levels, near those to which the general population is exposed, dioxins have been linked to immune system suppression, reproductive disorders, a variety of cancers, and endometriosis. Endometriosis (from endo, "inside" and metra, " Womb " is a common medical condition characterized by growth beyond or outside the uterus According to a 1994 report by the British firm, ICI Chemicals & Polymers Ltd. , "It has been known since the publication of a paper in 1989 that these oxychlorination reactions [used to make vinyl chloride and some chlorinated solvents] generate polychlorinated dibenzodioxins (PCDDs) and dibenzofurans (PCDFs). The reactions include all of the ingredients and conditions necessary to form PCDD/PCDFs. . . . It is difficult to see how any of these conditions could be modified so as to prevent PCDD/PCDF formation without seriously impairing the reaction for which the process is designed. " In other words, dioxins are an undesirable byproduct of polymerizing PVC and eliminating the production of dioxins while maintaining the polymerization reaction may be difficult. Dioxins created by vinyl chloride production are released by on-site incinerators, flares, boilers, wastewater treatment systems and even in trace quantities in vinyl resins. ^[23] The US EPA estimate of dioxin releases from the PVC industry was 13 grams TEQ in 1995, or less than 0. 5% of the total dioxin emissions in the US; by 2002, PVC industry dioxin emissions had been further reduced by 23%. ^[24]

The largest well-quantified source of dioxin in the US EPA inventory of dioxin sources is barrel burning of household waste. ^[25] Studies of household waste burning indicate consistent increases in dioxin generation with increasing PVC concentrations. ^[26] According to the EPA dioxin inventory, landfill fires are likely to represent an even larger source of dioxin to the environment. A landfill fire occurs when Waste disposed of in a Landfill ignites and spreads A survey of international studies consistently identifies high dioxin concentrations in areas affected by open waste burning and a study that looked at the homologue pattern found the sample with the highest dioxin concentration was "typical for the pyrolysis of PVC". Other EU studies indicate that PVC likely "accounts for the overwhelming majority of chlorine that is available for dioxin formation during landfill fires. "^[27]

The next largest sources of dioxin in the EPA inventory are medical and municipal waste incinerators. ^[28] Studies have shown a clear correlation between dioxin formation and chloride content and indicate that PVC is a significant contributor to the formation of both dioxin and PCB in incinerators. ^[29]

In February 2007, the Technical and Scientific Advisory Committee of the US Green Building Council (USGBC) released its report on a PVC avoidance related materials credit for the LEED Green Building Rating system. The report concludes that "no single material shows up as the best across all the human health and environmental impact categories, nor as the worst" but that the "risk of dioxin emissions puts PVC consistently among the worst materials for human health impacts. " ^[30]

Bans

The State of California is currently considering a bill that would ban the use of PVC in consumer packaging due the threats it poses to human and environmental health and its effect on the recycling stream. ^[31]

Recycling

The symbol, or 'SPI code', for polyvinyl chloride developed by the Society of the Plastics Industry so that items can be labeled for easy recycling is:

The Unicode character for this symbol is U+2675 (HTML character reference ♵). The symbols in the table below belong to the SPI resin identification coding system, developed by the Society of the Plastics Industry in 1988 Founded in 1937 The Society of the Plastics Industry Inc is the trade association representing one of the largest manufacturing industries in the United States In Computing, Unicode is an Industry standard allowing Computers to consistently represent and manipulate text expressed in most of the world's A numeric character reference (NCR is a common markup construct used in SGML and other SGML-based markup languages such as HTML and XML.

Post-consumer PVC is not typically recycled due to the prohibitive cost of regrinding and recompounding the resin compared to the cost of virgin (unrecycled) resin.

Some PVC manufacturers have placed vinyl recycling programs into action, recycling both manufacturing waste back into their products, as well as post consumer PVC construction materials to reduce the load on landfills.

The thermal depolymerization process can safely and efficiently convert PVC into fuel and minerals, according to the company that developed it. Thermal depolymerization ( TDP) is a process using Hydrous pyrolysis for the reduction of complex Organic materials (usually Waste products of It is not yet in widespread use.

A new process of PVC Recycling is being developed in Europe and Japan called Texiloop. ^[32] This process consists of recovering PVC plastic from composite materials through dissolution and precipitation. It strives to be a closed loop system, recycling its key solvent and hopefully making PVC a future technical nutrient.

See also

• Chlorinated polyvinyl chloride
• Plastic Pressure Pipe Systems
• Polyvinylidene chloride
• Polyvinyl fluoride
• Polyvinylidene fluoride
• Cyberskin
• PVC recycling
• Plastic recycling

References

Movies

• Blue Vinyl (2002). Blue Vinyl is a 2002 Documentary film directed by Daniel B Gold and Judith Helfand Directed by Daniel B. Gold and Judith Helfand. Learn more about it at [2]
• Sam Suds and the Case of PVC, the Poison Plastic (2006). Watch it at [3]
• An Overview of the Benefits of Vinyl (2006) by Dr. Patrick Moore, founding member of Greenpeace and former Director of Greenpeace International. See it at [4]

External links

• PharosWiki entry on PVC - more detailed referenced information on health issues associated with PVC life cycle.
• PVC Information "Vinyl is all around us, but no other plastic poses such direct environmental and human health risks. "
• The Association between Asthma and Allergic Symptoms in Children and Phthalates in House Dust: A Nested Case-Control Study
• Polyvinyl Chloride - General Info "PVC – Toxic Plastic"
• The European PVC Portal (European Council of Vinyl Manufacturers)
• European Council of Plasticisers and Intermediates
• An introduction to vinyl
• The Vinyl Council of Canada