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Big News! APHA Calls For a Phase Out of PVC
Expert Opinion
Thursday, November 10, 2011
by Mike Schade, Center for Health, Environment & Justice
More than 13,000 public health professionals across the country gathered in Washington, DC last week at the American Public Health Association’s (APHA) annual public meeting where a major policy resolution, Reducing PVC in Facilities with Vulnerable Populations was passed. The policy resolution, “urges local, state and federal governments and decision-makers to consider phasing out the use and purchase of flexible PVC in building materials, consumer products, and office suppliers in schools, daycare centers, medical care facilities, nursing homes, public housing, facilities for special needs and the disabled, and other facilities with vulnerable populations when cost-effective alternatives are available.”
“This resolution by one of the largest associations of health professionals in the United States is an important new voice calling for government agencies to take action to address the risks posed by flexible PVC products,” said Stephen Lester, Science Director for the Center for Health, Environment & Justice. “The APHA has now formally recognized the hazards that PVC and phthalates pose to children’s health in schools and daycare centers.”
This comes at a time when a growing chorus of leading businesses and healthcare institutions are supporting efforts to reduce the use of PVC. Large corporations like Wal-Mart, Target, Apple, and Google have announced policies to reduce or phase out PVC in products and/or packaging. Just a few weeks ago, the largest healthcare purchasers in America, with a purchasing power of over $130 billion, announced they will be asking suppliers whether or not their products contain toxic PVC plastic and phthalates. The U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED program provides incentives to avoid building materials such as PVC that release Persistent Bioaccumulative Toxins (PBTs) and contain phthalates.
A 2011 study found PVC is the most widely used hazardous plastic in the world. Congress has enacted legislation banning phthalates in children’s PVC toys, but they are widespread in other PVC products in schools, hospitals, and other facilities with vulnerable populations. Due to the environmental health hazards of phthalates, the EPA has recently developed a “chemical action plan” for phthalates, over 90% of which are found in PVC products.
The policy was enacted by the APHA in light of the widespread hazards flexible PVC poses to children other vulnerable populations through the release of hazardous chemicals such as phthalates, dioxin, and vinyl chloride.
Learn more:
- The resolution that was passed by the APHA is available here.
- Learn more about CHEJ’s PVC campaign here.
- Read about the top five reasons for avoiding PVC here.
Do you take steps to avoid PVC? What have you done?
Posted by Andrea on 11/11/2011 at 01:54 PM
Does this also apply to the PVC piping in plumbing?
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Posted by Tammy Friedman on 01/12/2012 at 05:27 PM
In response to Andrea’s question about PVC piping in newer homes, this particular kind of pvc material is not as bad as soft pvc found in toys, bags, backpacks, etc. It is my understanding that PVC piping does not contain pthalates, which is the toxic chemical used to make PVC soft and pliable, hense the hard, rigid nature of PVC piping. Although pvc piping does not contain pthalates, it is not exactly ecofriendly and the factories that produce it also produce pollution.