PVC is used to make a wide variety of useful products and the reason for that is simple: the material solves practical problems better than any substitute can. In some cases, there aren’t even viable alternative materials available.

Nevertheless, we’ve seen a handful of recent news stories claiming “PVC free” products can be easily swapped in place of the real thing – and yield the same results. Both Yale Environment360 as well as Floor Trends & Installation published articles in the PVC-can-be-replaced genre within the last month. These pieces perpetuate errors and misinformation about the safety and benefits of vinyl and PVC products, so let’s take a brief look at each one.

Yale repeats activist talking points

Yale Environment 360 claimed in a February 15 story that “there are alternatives for PVC for most uses — including for vinyl records, medical devices, and construction material.” But the situation isn’t that simple. 

As the story briefly acknowledges, these substitutes are significantly more expensive—90 percent more in the case of ductile iron pipe. In practice that means Americans would pay a lot more for access to essential goods and services that PVC already does – safely – for a lot less, including clean drinking water, medical care, and construction. And as inflation continues to strain family budgets, especially in sectors like housing, the cost savings created by PVC simply can’t be ignored. 

The other important point is that eliminating PVC would also discard the benefits the material provides. The Vinyl Institute has noted many of these upsides in separate reports focusing on PVC water pipe and medical devices.  

For instance, PVC bags preserve blood much longer than other materials. They also reduce the risk of contamination and breakage, which is why health care providers have mostly abandoned glass containers for storing blood and other important fluids.  

Likewise, PVC pipe has “the lowest break rate when compared to cast iron, ductile iron, steel and asbestos cement pipes,” according to new research from Utah State University. PVC pipe also drastically reduces tuberculation, a form of internal corrosion and biofilm contamination that can occur in other piping materials. Tuberculation creates a breeding ground for harmful bacteria such as Legionella and E. coli, as the National Academy of Sciences has explained.

Debunking flooring myths (again)

In a pair of recent stories on vinyl flooring, Floor Trends & Installation makes the same unforced errors Yale did. While the outlet notes PVC/vinyl flooring has “price and design flexibility,” and that most alternative materials “cost more,” it still suggests that the industry is (and should be) moving away from the material.

Major questions surround the lasting durability and strength of unproven PVC alternative flooring materials. The outlet also vaguely points to “concerns about health impacts and environmental hazards” of vinyl flooring. But none of these claims withstand scientific scrutiny. 

Floor Trends & Installation claims, for example, that “phthalates used in vinyl flooring had negative human health impacts.” But credible research doesn’t support this claim. We’ve debunked it multiple times now, but the bottom line is this: Phthalates used in PVC products have been safely used in consumer and commercial products for over five decades. They are some of the most tested substances in the world. Independent scientists know very well that phthalates are safe for their intended use. 

Even the California Office of Environmental Health and Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) – which implements some of the strictest environmental regulations of any state in the nation – issued a “Safe Use Determination for diisononyl phthalate (DINP) in vinyl flooring measured at or below designated OEHHA safe harbor levels. “OEHHA’s decision confirms that the presence of DINP in vinyl flooring not exceeding the 18.9% threshold is safe and appropriate for consumers,” noted Dean Thompson, then-president of the Resilient Floor Covering Institute (RFCI). 

That fact was a simple Google search away – and would have added important balance and clarity for Floor Trends & Installation readers. Yet it was conveniently omitted because it failed to conform to the author’s preconceived anti-PVC narrative.

Conclusion

In sum, PVC is a safe material that lowers the costs of vitally important products that protect public health and the environment. This is why the market for the material is rapidly growing and projected to reach $12 billion by 2031. Attempts to eliminate PVC from modern life are driven by ideologues, not defenders of credible science, who have little regard for the consequences (unintended or not) of their positions. 

The media can (and should) do better. But we’ve seen this behavior before. It’s why we do what we do here at Vinyl Verified. When reporters fall short of their own journalism standards, we’ll point out their errors, omissions and misleading statements, so that the public can base their judgements on a full and complete view of the facts.