Impact of materials

PVC Life Cycle Analysis

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Introduction

The Healthy Building Network is leading the campaign to accelerate the transition away from PVC building materials in favor of safer , healthier alternatives that offer equal or superior performance at comparable prices

PVC (polyvinyl chloride or vinyl ) is the worst plastic from an environmental health perspective , posing unique and major hazards in its manufacture , product life and disposal . Global vinyl production over 30 million tons per year , and 75 of PVC is directed to building applications

PVC has contributed a significant

portion of the world 's burden of persistent toxic pollutants and endocrine-disrupting chemicals - including dioxin and phthalates - that are now universally present in the environment and the human population (Greening Divisions ,

.45 When its entire life cycle is taken into account , it becomes apparent that this seemingly innocuous plastic is one of the most environmentally hazardous consumer materials produced . For this reason , HBN is committed to shift the demand of the multi-billion dollar building materials market toward PVC-free products and policies (PVC-Free Pipe for Purchasers Report ,

90

Building Material

While the many problems associated with PVC throughout its lifecycle far outweigh the benefits , the construction industry has been unaware of its true cost and long considered it a cheap convenient material Piping , vinyl siding , and vinyl flooring are the largest and most familiar uses of PVC . Roof membranes have been a growing area (Update on the Environmental Health ,

. 5 . It is also used in electrical wire insulation , conduit , junction boxes , wall coverings , carpet backing window and door frames , shades and blinds , shower curtains , furniture flues , gutters , down spouts , waterstops , weatherstrip , flashing moldings and elsewhere . Fortunately , for each of these uses , there exist a wide range of cost effective alternative materials that pose less of a health hazard to workers and the public at large (The Economics ,

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Environmental assessment

PVC is the worst plastic from an environmental health perspective posing major hazards in its manufacture , product life and disposal (Greening Divisions ,

. 6 . Toxic Manufacturing Byproducts include Dioxin (the most potent carcinogen known , ethylene dichloride and vinyl chloride are unavoidably created in production of PVC and can cause severe health problems , including (The Economics ,

. 7

Cancer

Endocrine disruption

Endometriosis

Neurological damage

Birth defects impaired child development

Reproductive and immune system damage

In the US , PVC is manufactured predominantly near low-income communities in Texas and Louisiana . The toxic impact of pollution from these factories on these communities has made them a focus in the environmental justice movement . Dioxin 's impact doesn 't stop there . As a persistent bioaccumulative toxin (PBT , it does not breakdown rapidly and travels around the globe , accumulating in fatty tissue and concentrating as it goes up the food chain . Dioxins from Louisiana manufacturing plants migrate on the winds and concentrate in Great Lakes fish (PVC-Free Pipe for Purchasers Report ,

. 78 . Dioxins are even found in hazardous concentrations in the tissues of whales and polar bears and in Inuit mother 's breast milk . The...