FAQ
FAQ - Vinyl Council Australia
Frequently Asked Questions |
| What does 'PVC' stand for? |
| Polyvinyl chloride. PVC is commonly referred to as vinyl and the two names can be used interchangeably. Vinyl resin can be combined with a wide range of other materials such as plasticisers, stabilisers, lubricants and colorants depending on the requirements of the end product. Not all vinyl products use the same combination of materials. |
| How much manufactured chlorine goes into the PVC industry? |
| Worldwide, about 35% of chlorine produced is used in the PVC industry. Chlorine is one of the most commonly occurring elements. Man-made chlorine is vital to many industries producing valuable modern products. |
| Can people working in the PVC industry contract cancer from vinyl chloride monomer (VCM)? |
| Vinyl chloride monomer was found to be a carcinogenic substance in the early 1970s. Prolonged and high exposure among those working with the material in the PVC industry was found to cause a rare form of cancer, angiosarcoma of the liver. Once the link was discovered, industry and governments quickly took action to reduce the level of potential exposure. Exposure limits are now below one-thousandth of what they used to be, and no cases of the cancer have been detected in workers joining the industry since that time. |
| Do VCM or PVC factories emit large amounts of dioxins into the environment? |
| No. Studies in Australia, the US, UK and the Netherlands have shown that only very small amounts of dioxin can be attributed to VCM or PVC production. Dioxin emissions in Europe and the US have halved in the last thirty years while PVC production has increased 300%. In Australia, it is estimated that 60-80% of dioxin emissions to air arise from agricultural burning off, residential wood combustion and bushfires. The manufacture in Australia of all chemicals based on chlorine (i.e. halogen chemicals) contributes less than 1% to the total . |
| Are dioxins present in the PVC that is used to make everyday products? |
| No. Dioxins have not been found in PVC polymer at the limits of detection, even using today’s highly advanced measurement techniques. |
| Is PVC cling film safe? |
| Yes. Plasticised PVC films have been a major contributor to food safety, having properties that both protect and preserve food. Any material used to package food may result in some transfer of its constituents to the foodstuff. The migration of plasticiser from PVC film is at levels which are considered harmless by international health and legislative authorities. All Australian-made films comply with Australian Standard for Plastics and Food Contact, AS 2070. |
| What are plasticisers and why does PVC require them? |
| To make PVC soft and flexible, plasticisers are added. A number of different products are used as plasticisers including categories of chemicals known as phthalates (or phthalate esters), citrates and adipates. |
| Environment groups claim that plasticisers used in PVC disrupt the human hormone system. If there’s any risk of this, should we still be using these substances in PVC? |
| There are risks associated with the use of any product, and those associated with the use of phthalate plasticisers appear to be small. Phthalate plasticisers have been used worldwide for over forty years and have been extensively studied for health effects. No phthalate plasticiser has displayed estrogenicity in live animal studies. It appears phthalates do not have significant effects on the female hormone, oestrogen. Research has turned instead to the possibility of androgenic effects (that is, effects on the male hormone). Early studies suggest effects may be possible in laboratory animals at high doses. The US government scientific body, CERHR, has evaluated all the major phthalates and has not found any undue concern about the use of DINP, the phthalate commonly used in toys. It has expressed concern about some specific human exposures to DEHP because of a lack of data. Refer to the section on phthalate plasticisers for more detail. |
| Why are lead and cadmium used in PVC products? |
| Lead compounds are used as heat stabilisers, primarily in rigid PVC such as pipes and gutters. The stabiliser is tightly bound into the PVC matrix limiting leaching from the surface of PVC. The CSIRO found that under normal use conditions of PVC pipe, its contribution to levels of lead in the environment is small relative to contributions from other sources . Very little cadmium is used in PVC product manufacture in Australia. |
| What happens when PVC products burn in building fires? |
| PVC has low flammability and rate of heat release due to its low organic/high chlorine content. Pure PVC will self-extinguish once the external heat or flame source is removed. Rigid PVC materials such as those used for pipe, vertical blinds and siding, are recognised for their excellent fire retardant properties. The fire properties of flexible PVC products depend on the quantity and composition of plasticiser added. |
| Is PVC a danger to people in building fires? |
| The toxicity of building fire emissions from PVC is neither better nor worse than for many other common materials. The low flammability of many PVC products makes them an asset in a fire situation. When it does burn, PVC tends to produce heavy smoke. However, the most important products in any fire are heat and carbon monoxide. These are produced by all organic materials when they burn. Hydrogen chloride is produced when chlorine-containing materials, including PVC are burnt. It is a common irritant gas, and has a very pungent odour so is quickly detected. At the levels encountered in building fires, hydrogen chloride remains an irritant and is not lethal. To our knowledge, no building fire fatality has ever been attributed to PVC by building fire authorities. |
| Do PVC products cause a waste problem? |
| Around 80% of PVC is used for long-life products which last for between 15 and 100 years. These are building materials such as window frames, water distribution and drainage pipes and electrical cable insulation and conduit. 10% of products are used for between two and 15 years such as computer housing, car parts and furniture. Only 10% is used for less than two years and these include things that can only be used once like medical packaging. PVC packaging materials have a short life and most frequently end up as household refuse. On the whole, PVC is not designed to be wasted. |
| Does PVC pollute soil and groundwater when disposed of in landfills? |
| Studies have been done to test whether PVC pollutes groundwater and soil in landfill. Such studies show that PVC does not degrade in landfill and is not expected to add to the toxicity of leachate. Minute quantities of metal stabilisers may leach from PVC but the quantities are considered an insignificant contribution to heavy metal concentrations in landfill. Although vinyl chloride gas may be present in landfill, it is formed from the degradation of chlorinated hydrocarbons not from PVC, which does not degrade. |
| Does the incineration of PVC cause the emission of large amounts of dioxins? |
| It has been demonstrated that PVC in the waste stream of properly operated incinerators has a negligible effect on the amount of dioxins emitted. Dioxin emissions are primarily the result of combustion temperature and efficiency of operation, both of which can be controlled with the use of modern incineration technology. In Australia, it is estimated that agricultural burning off, bush fires, cement production and residential wood combustion are among the most significant contributors to dioxin emissions to air . Municipal waste incineration and halogen chemical manufacture contribute less than 1% to the total. |
| Does PVC material contaminate the recycling of other plastics? Is PVC difficult to recycle? |
| The successful recycling of any polymer requires an homogenous and clean supply of the material, free from contamination by different types of polymer. This is true in the recycling of PVC and any other major plastic. PVC is as recyclable as any other plastic. |
| Over its life cycle, how does PVC compare to other materials? Can it be readily substituted for more environmentally benign materials? |
| Several life cycle, or cradle-to-grave studies have been completed for PVC in some of its major applications (see the section on Life Cycles). These appear to indicate that the environmental performance of PVC in its major applications is as good, or better than alternative products. In some of its applications, there are few or no readily available alternative materials offering the same or improved beneficial properties. PVC is one of the most thoroughly tested of all materials. Where alternatives do exist, they may not have been subjected to the same degree of rigorous assessment. |
| How should decisions to select any material be made? |
| The PVC industry in Australia strongly supports the selection of all materials based on their merits in terms of performance, cost and environmental impact. Expert scientific opinion, where available, should form the basis for environmental comparisons. This principle of selection on merit is the cornerstone for the fair treatment of all materials and delivers benefits to industry and customers alike. |
