Across the US, a growing number of communities are choosing PVC pipe to deliver safe, clean drinking water to their residents. One water distribution supervisor in Ohio nicely captured the enthusiasm driving this trend when asked about his city’s decision to replace its failing iron water infrastructure:

 "Switching to PVC or plastic piping, that's always the way to go." 

As America’s demand for PVC continues to surge, iron pipe manufacturers have initiated a media campaign to reverse this plastic pipe boom—not by promoting the benefits of their own material but by attacking PVC under false pretenses. This piece of sponsored content placed in USA Today by the Ductile Iron Pipe Association (DIPRA) is a textbook example: North TX communities revisit water pipes as EPA reviews vinyl chloride.

In the story, DIPRA – a group we’ve fact-checked at least a dozen times so far – once again raises unsubstantiated concern about PVC pipe, implying that it exposes the public to unsafe levels of a chemical called vinyl chloride. 

The problem? DIPRA’s narrative overlooks the reality that PVC water pipes are tightly regulated, rigorously tested, and simply do not pose a risk to public health—making them a safe and reliable choice for drinking water systems.

PVC pipe regulation: just the facts

First, PVC water pipes are subject to stringent regulations that ensure their safety. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulates drinking water quality, and PVC pipes must comply with standards set by the National Sanitation Foundation (NSF) and the American National Standards Institute (ANSI), specifically NSF/ANSI 61. This standard certifies that materials used in drinking water systems do not leach harmful substances, including vinyl chloride, at levels exceeding extremely conservative safety thresholds. 

DIPRA notes that the EPA is currently reviewing vinyl chloride, but its article overlooks an essential detail: the agency’s ongoing assessment has already concluded that “PVC products, such as pipes … often contain low concentrations of residual vinyl chloride monomer.” 

The reason these concentrations are so low is simple. Although vinyl chloride is used to make PVC pipe, the manufacturing process eliminates almost all of the chemical from the finished product. Studies confirm that properly manufactured PVC pipes do not release detectable levels of vinyl chloride into water—ensuring no public health risk.

PVC pipe’s unmatched durability

DIPRA also suggests that environmental conditions—for example, heat, drought and soil moisture shifts—could cause PVC pipes to crack and leach chemicals. This claim lacks specific evidence and ignores another critical point: PVC is engineered to be corrosion resistant, making it an ideal choice for regions where climate variability is a concern. Bottom line: there is no quality evidence linking environmental stressors to significant vinyl chloride leaching from NSF/ANSI 61-certified pipes.

Conclusion

Despite DIPRA’s inaccurate claims about vinyl chloride, the truth of the matter is this: PVC is the most reliable material on the market when it comes to water infrastructure. Communities across the U.S. can confidently choose PVC pipes, knowing they are backed by science, stringent safety standards, and a track record of performance going back many decades.