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Home , Polyvinyl chloride

FAQs: & Polyvinyl (PVC)

What are phthalates? What makes the new car or shower curtain smell? Phthalates (pronounced THAL-ates) are a class of chemicals used to soften , such as PVC is useless without the addition of many tox- PVC (), bind fragrances in ic additives, which can make the PVC product products, and act as solvents and fixatives. itself harmful to consumers. These chemicals Human exposure occurs through: can evaporate or leach out of PVC, posing health risks to children and consumers (off-gassing). Inhalation- breathing in fragrances or The new car or shower curtain smell is that of fumes from solvents and fixatives chemicals off-gassing from the PVC. One EPA study found that vinyl shower curtains can cause Ingestion- chewing on a toy elevated levels of dangerous air toxins, which creates small openings in the plastic, can persist for more than a month. providing an avenue for leaching of chemicals from the toy into a child’s What is an example of toxic additives to PVC? mouth One of the most common toxic additives is Di(2- Absorption- lotion, perfumes, deodor- ethylhexyl) (DEHP), a phthalate that ants is a suspected and reproductive tox- icant readily found in numerous PVC products. Adverse health effects include hormone disrup- Children can be exposed to phthalates by chew- tion, developmental and reproductive prob- ing on vinyl toys. Some phthalates have been lems, , preterm birth, low sperm count, banned from some children’s products and toys undescended testes, premature puberty, and in the U.S. as of February 2009. development of some cancers. Can PVC containing materials be recycled? What is polyvinyl chloride (PVC)? PVC cannot be effectively recycled due to the PVC plastic, commonly referred to as vinyl, is a many different toxic additives used to soften or very hazardous product. PVC is dangerous to hu- stabilize PVC, which can contaminate the recy- man health and the environment throughout its cling batch. Most consumers do not know that a entire life cycle, at the factory, in our homes, “3” in the recycle symbol indicates that the plas- and in the trash. Our bodies are contaminated tic is made of PVC, and therefore recycle those with the chemicals released during the PVC products, inadvertently rendering thousands of lifecycle, such as , dioxins, and potentially recycled containers useless. In fact phthalates, which may pose irreversible life-long just one PVC bottle can contaminate a health threats. When produced or burned, PVC load of 100,000 terephthalate plastic releases dioxins, a group of the most po- (PET) bottles. Recycling of PVC is negligible, with tent synthetic chemicals ever tested, which can estimates ranging from 0.1% to 3% of postcon- cause cancer and harm the immune and repro- sumer PVC waste being recycled. ductive systems.

8/14 What are some consumer products with alter- natives to PVC and phthalates?

Safer, cost-effective, alternatives, such as bio- based materials or safer plastics, are readily available for virtually every use. You can help build consumer demand for safer, healthier products by avoiding the purchase of PVC or phthalate-containing products.

 Look for toys labeled “phthalate-free” or “PVC-free”.

 Avoid products, like vinyl (PVC) chew toys, which are identified with a “V” or recycling code “3.”

 Choose toys made from polypropyl- ene or polyethylene.

 Use PVC-free (buy plastic wrap and bags made with polyethylene).

 Purchase phthalate-free beauty products.

 Beware of soft flexible plastic products that have a strong, distinct odor. Often these sig- nal the presence of PVC.

Additional Resource(s) on Phthalates and PVC: ATSDR: Phthalates ATSDR: Toxicological profile for

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