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Article Series: Global Warming
Global Warming & Climate Change -
What Do I Need To Know?
How
To Get Rid of the PVC Plastic Polluting Your Home
PVC may seem an innocent part of your household.
In fact, chances are that you use PVC each and every day, or
at least come across it on a regular basis. What is PVC and
why is it so harmful? PVC stands for polyvinyl chloride. In
other words, PVC is what you would most of the time
refer to as vinyl. Unfortunately, there are many negative outcomes that
can arise from the frequent use of PVCs, several environmental
agencies and organizations warn.
PVC is often referred to as one of the most popular plastics.
Indeed, it is estimated that PVC is actually the second most
popular plastic in the world in terms of usage. However, simply
because a product or material is widely used does not mean
that it is automatically safe. PVC is recognized by many environmental
watchdog organizations as one of the most dangerous PVCs currently
in use.
Just why is PVC so dangerous? PVC is widely perceived to be
one of the more dangerous plastics because it is believed to
be one of the world's largest sources of dioxin. What are dioxins
and what makes them so dangerous? Dioxins are essentially made
when PVC plastic is being burned up in incinerators. This can
occur when this happens in household stoves, in accidental
fires that may occur in vehicles or in buildings, or simply
in open-air trash burning that still occurs in many places,
especially in rural areas.
Dioxins are essentially a by-product of the manufacturing
process that creates PVC. Most production of PVC is rich in
dioxins, as well as a handful of other very toxin contaminants.
This is because most PVC products contain many different chemical
additives. Unfortunately, despite all we know about the dangers
of PVC use and burning it, PVC continues unabated as one of
the world's most popular users of industrial chorine. Despite
everything that researchers have learned about the dangers
of building with PVC, the manufacturing machine continues unabated,
using the same contaminant ingredients that have always been
used.
The use of PVC really took off in the 1960s, when plastics
were all the rage. Eventually, the use of industrial chlorine
was curtailed beginning in the 1960s. However, it appears that
the chloral kali industry has increased their production of
chlorine-rich manufacturing, especially in sectors in Asia
and Latin America.
Plastic continues its reign as one of the most popular material.
It has long replaced many other materials that were once popular,
including metal, glass, ceramics, woods, and other materials
that were once popular as well as much less problematic in
terms of environmental damage.
In recent years, the largest
use of most PVCs still occurs in building materials. This means that PVC are used in the
most common household building materials, including doors,
walls, cables, window frames, wastewater pipes, vinyl floor,
vinyl wallpaper, shower curtains, and window blinds. Clearly,
PVCs in all its forms continue to be a major part of the average
American household, even though many of these ingredients have
been banned in other countries where they were deemed to dangerous
to build with.
Moreover, PVCs are no longer to be found in mostly industrial
settings. PVCs are also used to make common, every day consumer
goods such as records, credit cards, furniture, folders, binders,
pens, toys, and in the under seal of many new vehicles. PVCs
are also commonly used for wire insulation as an imitation
for leather. They are also widely used to make many medical
supplies, including the medical disposables that are often
used inmost hospital. PVCs can also be commonly found in the
ingredients used to create many pieces of garden furniture.
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: 2007
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