VI Responds to Center for Biological Diversity Lawsuit

The claims in a recent lawsuit by The Center for Biological Diversity (CBD) are inaccurate, misleading, and misinformed. What’s more, the lawsuit itself is a carbon copy of the exact same claims CBD made back in 2014, and their assertions are as unsupported and misguided today as they were seven years ago. The facts are indisputable: PVC is inert, responsibly produced, and governments around the globe have recognized that PVC has been used safely in consumer and commercial applications for the past 50 years. We at the Vinyl Institute call on the EPA to once again dismiss these false claims about PVC as they did during the Obama Administration. PVC is a quality product of choice that continues to improve the way we live our daily lives.

Comment to Chemical Watch

To suggest that PVC products are unsafe due to their chemical composition misleads the public. This kind of oversimplification is irresponsible and distorts the facts. Even the authors emphasize the importance of noting that this issue involves complex, multi-factorial diseases that occur due to a combination of genetic predisposition, lifestyle and environment. Therefore, EDCs are one of the environmental factors that contribute to increased likelihood or severity of disease. Overstating the role of PVC products in this context has a high potential of misleading readers rather than informing and educating them about emerging science.

Decades of scientific study and real world use have demonstrated the safety and reliability of PVC products. It is one of the most researched materials plastic in history.  PVC manufacturing adheres to strict regulatory requirements, and for nearly 50 years, there has been no reliable scientific evidence that shows exposure to PVC poses any human health risks.

Additives used in PVC products undergo a rigorous regulatory review and approval process. For example, PVC medical products also adhere to the US Pharmacopeia guidelines and have been used safely for decades. A major medical product producer actually tracked the use of PVC medical products for more than eight billion patient days without any significant health effects. The unique benefit of phthalate plasticized PVC is improved blood safety and blood banking efficiency. The increased durability and flexibility prevents container breakage and bacterial contamination, and it allows for steam sterilization, heat welding, centrifugation/componentization.

Independent studies (including those considering the inhalation, dermal contact, and ingestion pathways) have demonstrated that exposure to phthalates in vinyl flooring and other products is de minimis if not non-existent, repeatedly finding no unacceptable risk. Even where vinyl flooring is manufactured with phthalates and/or where legacy products contain phthalates, the potential for exposure to phthalates from these products is extremely low. In response to public perception of purported health risks associated with phthalates, there has been a shift in market demand towards phthalate-free vinyl flooring; as a result, manufacturers have, as a general matter, moved away from the use of phthalates (specifically, ortho-phthalates).

Additionally, the report gets basic facts wrong like suggesting that cadmium and lead are common PVC additives. In reality, manufacturers in the U.S., Europe and Australia moved away from these materials years ago (nearly two decades ago in the U.S.)

Correction to DeSmog Blog

To the editors,

I am writing to call your attention to a serious error in a story published by DeSmog [“Pollution Scientist Calls Plastic Pellet Spill in the Mississippi River ‘a Nurdle Apocalypse’”, 8/28/20]. The article in question cites ‘concerns’ of vinyl chloride monomer contamination. The article wrongly asserts that: 

“. . . though vinyl chloride isn't listed on the Dow bag as one of the ingredients in these nurdles, she says such plastic pellets often contain trace amounts of this industrial chemical . . . ” 

As the article notes in the fourth paragraph, the pellets in question are made of polyethylene. Vinyl chloride is not used in the manufacture of polyethylene. Therefore, there is no basis for Ms. Subra to speculate that this spill of polyethylene pellets poses any risk of vinyl chloride contamination. It is simply impossible. 

We insist that this error be corrected. We recommend that the entire paragraph be removed from the post and that a correction be appended to the end of the story so that your readers are not further misled.

Vinyl Institute Statement Regarding PVC in Personal Protective Equipment

Personal protective equipment used in the medical field is strictly regulated to ensure the safety of medical personnel. Numerous regulatory agencies, including the Food and Drug Administration, have approved PVC for use in PPE and other medical equipment. In fact, PVC is absolutely critical to the health care industry, now more than ever. PVC is being used in face shields, containment units, temporary structures, and hundreds of other applications to prevent the spread of COVID-19 and to protect critical medical personnel. PVC is an effective barrier between the sick and those caring for them, which is why it is used to minimize the spread of even the most infectious diseases, like ebola and now COVID-19. Health Care Without Harm’s baseless, agenda-driven  scaremongering should be dismissed out of hand. We are proud of the PVC industry’s support for our nation’s health care providers, and grateful for an industry that has shifted production to help supply safe and effective medical devices during this pandemic.

PVC Uses in the Treatment of Infectious Diseases

Vinyl Institute Comment to Chemical Watch on PVC in Health Care

“Eliminating PVC in medical settings could result in serious human health consequences, and its removal could leave patients and caregivers at significant risk. PVC is used in dozens of applications and thousands of individual medical products because it is durable, easy to clean, and can withstand strong disinfectants better than other materials. Blood stored in PVC bags has a significantly longer shelf-life, which has benefited billions of patients over the 60-year history of this product. PVC is an effective barrier, which is why it is used to mitigate the transmission of some of the most virulent diseases in the world.  PVC is being used today in the gloves, biocontainment units and other accessories used to protect medical professionals fighting on the front lines of the Coronavirus, because PVC helps prevent the spread of these types of deadly diseases.”