Product Replacement?

Environmental study confirms PVC dangers

By Janine Anderson

It’s official name of polyvinyl chloride might not exactly roll off the tongue.

But PVC, by any name, doesn’t have much trouble rolling off the shelves at building-supply stores. It’s cheap, flexible, and it’s long been considered ideal for many construction needs, ranging from siding to pipes to flooring.

But the compound often does more harm than good, according to a February report by the U.S. Green Building Council’s Technical Science Advisory Committee. The group spent four years studying PVC to determine if projects eliminating the material could earn a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design credit.

According to the report, the committee argued against the LEED credit because eliminating PVC doesn’t necessarily mean the alternative will be any better.

But the study found PVC was consistently worse for overall human health than alternative products, particularly when considering PVC’s entire life cycle. However, PVC ranked higher than some alternatives when it came to environmental health, which makes it difficult to clearly point to better options.

Tom Lent, policy director for the Healthy Building Network, said the report gives a clear look at a product that is practically everywhere in the construction industry. The Healthy Building Network contributed data to the study.

“One of the things that is most striking about this report, and what differentiates it from PVC studies in the past, is that this one did note strongly that PVC is consistently one of the worst products for human health,” Lent said.

The study looked at the whole life cycle of PVC, he said, including what happens once PVC products are sent to landfills.

“It looked carefully at what happens in landfill fires,” Lent said. “There are 8,000 per year in this country. That is a very serious source of dioxin. Landfill fires may be the single biggest source of dioxin emissions, and PVC may be the primary cause of that.”

Dioxin, released when plastics like PVC are burned, is known to cause cancer. Additionally, there are occupational health impacts for people who work in factories where PVC products are made, Lent said.

“I think [the study] makes it pretty clear that selecting away from PVC will be positive for human health,” he said. “If your concern is a broad range of environmental issues, be cautious and get those products with the best impacts.”

The study detailed specific uses for PVC and how the material stacks up against some alternatives.

• Aluminum, according to the report, is the worst material for window frames for combined human health and environmental impacts, but PVC was worst for cancer-related issues.

• Aluminum and PVC both offered significant health impacts for siding, but PVC was the worst for cancer-related issues.

• PVC ranked as the best overall alternative for drain, waste or vent pipes, but it was rated worst for cancer-related impacts. The study tabbed cast iron as the worst material.

• Sheet vinyl was rated the worst among flooring alternatives studied.

For more information about the study, PVC or its alternatives, visit the USGBC Web site or the Healthy Building Network Web site.