One of the best books ever written, The Great Gatsby, tells the story of two men seeking affection from the same woman. Gatsby, the protagonist, relies on his own authentic attributes to express his love for her. Tom, the antagonist – realizing he is out-matched and unable to compete – engages in an underhanded campaign to try and disparage Gatsby’s credibility. 

Parallels from that storyline are ever-relevant today in the context of the iron pipe industry’s recent attacks on PVC pipe. As city managers show their affection for PVC pipe over ductile iron pipe in replacing their aging iron water systems, in an act of sad desperation, the Ductile Iron Pipe Research Association (DIPRA) has resorted to slinging mud at PVC instead of defending the merits of its own pipe material.      

With their backs against the wall, DIPRA in recent months published an op-ed in the Washington Times (WT), a newsletter blog, an ad in a trade publication and a sponsored op-ed, all casting aspersions on the safety and reliability of plastic piping. All deceive the public with long-refuted falsehoods about vinyl chloride, the chemical used to manufacture PVC. DIPRA irresponsibly distorts the public’s understanding of the important roles vinyl and PVC products play in modern life. 

Let’s take a closer look at DIPRA’s claims. 

Fibbing about PVC pipe

As we’ve noted on many occasions, PVC pipe has: a service life of more than a century; a failure rate lower than any other common piping material–ductile iron included, according to a recent study by Utah State University–and an impressively small carbon footprint. 

City managers are choosing PVC pipe over ductile iron pipe due to PVC pipe’s safety and reliability, and DIPRA doesn’t like it. The evidence is freely available to anyone who wants to see it:

“Among the utilities participating in the survey, PVC is the most used pipeline material, at 116,345 miles, according to the report. Other commonly used materials include ductile iron (108,670 miles), cast iron (90,657), asbestos cement (42,365), and steel (11,358).  Among these pipe materials, PVC was found to have the lowest annual failure rate, at 2.9 breaks per 100 miles, according to the report. 

… Corrosive soils appear to play a key role in contributing to failures in ductile iron pipe. ‘Analysis of soil corrosivity shows that ductile iron pipe in highly corrosive soil has over six times the break rate of ductile iron in low corrosive soil,’ the report states.”

In the WT piece, DIPRA asserts that plastic pipes are “fragile, with a high risk of failure and a short service life, and they cost more over the life-cycle of a project.” The evidence provided in support of these charges? None whatsoever. Readers were apparently supposed to take the claims of the iron-pipe lobby at face value. 

But that’s not how science works. “Trust us” doesn’t make it true. Claims should be based on verifiable evidence. That’s why municipalities around the US are ignoring DIPRA’s empty claims and increasingly turning to PVC to deliver safe, clean drinking water to their residents. Because upgraded PVC piping “will enhance our water distribution capabilities,” as one mayor in Texas put it. She’s not alone either: in the last two years, the US has invested some $55 billion in water delivery and wastewater infrastructure—most of which is PVC.

Bottom line: the material works, and everybody knows it.

More vinyl chloride myths

In a newsletter published the same week, and in a recent ad, DIPRA targets vinyl chloride with the same sort of deceptive claims. Yet another piece of DIPRA-sponsored content published on September 16 by Civil Engineering Source was equally misleading.

The newsletter article alleges that vinyl chloride can cause cancer in humans – but what it hides is that the last case of cancer linked to vinyl chloride exposure was diagnosed in 1974— that is, 50 years ago. 

These rare liver cancers occurred only in industrial workers exposed to very high levels of the chemical for extended periods of time. A combination of innovative safety measures implemented by industry and strict regulations have virtually eliminated this risk for workers, as the CDC explains. And of course, the EPA continues to regulate vinyl chloride emissions with stringent standards that ensure public safety.

The September 16 article cites an EPA fact sheet noting that “Drinking water may contain low levels of vinyl chloride released from contact with PVC pipes.” The implication DIPRA would like readers to draw is that these levels are potentially harmful, but that’s simply not true. In fact, independent auditors test PVC pipe materials in the facilities where they are produced to ensure they do not contain elevated levels of vinyl chloride. According to NSF International, which performs the inspections:

“All PVC pipe, fittings and materials are tested at least twice per year for residual vinyl chloride. Samples are selected randomly by NSF auditors during unannounced inspections of each production facility. Levels of [residual vinyl chloride] must pass the toxicology evaluation.”

All of this points to a clear conclusion: PVC pipes simply do not pose a risk to consumers. 

Disinformation unacceptable

Competition in any industry is important. It incentivizes companies to constantly innovate and better serve customers. But deceiving the public about a competitor’s products to gain a leg up? That’s unacceptable.