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Building Fires and PVC

The use of PVC in construction (the largest overall use of PVC) doubled between 1980 and 1995. Because so much PVC is used in construction and household items, accidental building fires have become increasingly more dangerous for firefighters and building occupants. Although PVC is flame resistant, PVC products release toxic hydrogen chloride gas when heated. These corrosive gases can spread faster than flames, trapping building occupants before they have a chance to escape. Hydrogen chloride gas is lethal when inhaled.

According to fire experts, it is not unusual for people caught in building fires to be killed by toxic PVC fumes before the flames actually reach them. As builders and policymakers become increasingly aware of the safety risks and potential expenses resulting from PVC fires, more restrictions are being enacted against the use of PVC in building construction.

An Enemy of Recycling

Recycling of PVC plastic is not a solution to the environmental problems created during its production and use. While most plastics do not get recycled, PVC is the worst offender -- it's the least recyclable of all plastics. This is because PVC items contain so many additives that recycling would be impractical and expensive.

The numbers are pathetic. According to the latest EPA figures, less than 0.5 percent of total post-consumer PVC was recovered for reprocessing in 1994.

Toward Safer Materials

The rapid growth of the vinyl industry is proceeding in the face of clear evidence of the serious health risks posed to workers, their families and neighboring communities. There is compelling evidence that it is now possible -- and crucial -- to implement a rapid transition to safer materials.

The good news is that this industrial transition can be accomplished in a manner that is fair to all involved -- the plastic manufacturers, industrial workers, and host communities. PVC can be replaced with safer materials in virtually all cases. Substitutes for PVC include traditional materials such as clay, glass, ceramics and linoleum. In those cases where traditional materials cannot be used as a replacement, even chlorine-free plastics are preferable to PVC. As consumers increasingly demand PVC-free products, and as the environmental and health costs of PVC are recognized, practical alternatives will become more economically viable. Proposals for transition planning have already been developed by labor and environmental organizations.

Numerous companies and governments have enacted PVC restrictions and material substitution policies. Large companies such as Proctor and Gamble, Mattel, and the Body Shop have phased out PVC packaging. BMW, Herliltz, IKEA, Opel, Sony-Europe and Volkswagen have all announced policies to eliminate PVC uses. Big construction projects such as the Eurotunnel between England and continental Europe were completed without the use of PVC. PVC is restricted from some city high-rises and military and aerospace projects. Due to increased demand, in various countries the marke Hundreds of European communities have instituted restrictions on the use of PVC in public buildings. The Swedish Parliament voted in 1995 to phase out soft PVC and rigid PVC with additives that are already identified as harmful. In Denmark, government officials are currently considering the phase out of PVC by the year 2000.

As part of the games' environmental design, the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney are being planned with an effort to minimize the use of chlorinated compounds, including PVC.

For a list of USA-based suppliers, manufacturers, and importers of alternatives and PVC-free building materials, please see our online resource guide to PVC alternatives.

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