Page 60 - Special Awards Issue 2016 Green Builder Magazine

Building

Innovative Solutions for High-Performance Homes

Report: PVC Still Problematic

The vinyl industry claims it is greening its products, but the manufacture,

use and disposal of PVC still poses significant environmental and health issues.

PEDITED BY JULIET GRABLE Substitutes for Common PVC Building Products and Materials
OLYVINYL CHLORIDE, OR PVC, is ubiquitous in the
building industry. Versatile and cheap, it’s found in nearly Category Alternative
every part of the building, from roofing membrane, siding
and floor coverings to electrical wiring and plumbing. Pipes and Plumbing Cast iron
PEX
The vinyl industry has been attempting to clean up its Concrete
Copper
act, with claims of new, less toxic formulations, reduced emissions HDPE
Polypropylene
during production and increased recycling rates. In light of these

claims, architecture firm Perkins+Will, in cooperation with the non-

profit Healthy Building Network, Window Frames Aluminum
Wood
“Avoiding PVC in building compiled a report called
Healthy Environments: What’s
material choices is nearly New (and What’s Not) With Resilient Flooring Cork
Linoleum
always preferable from an PVC. Published in November Rubber
overall human health and 2015, the purpose of the study
was to present information Carpet Backing Polyvinyl Butyral (PVB)

environmental perspective, on the environmental and Wall Coverings Textiles
health hazards of PVC, and to Polyethylene
recognizing that there may (or determine if the vinyl industry’s
claims have rendered the Wall Protection Aluminum
material safe enough to remove Bio-based Polymers
may not be) trade-offs with Stainless Steel SOURCE: PERKINS+WILL

other environmental attributes it from the Precautionary List, a Window Blinds/Shades Textiles
group of 25 chemicals for which Polyethylene
depending upon which Perkins+Will says there are

material is selected.” preferred alternatives. Smart Sourcing. The report offers these examples of building
The report acknowledges that products to use instead of PVC. Note, however, that almost all
products have their pros and cons. Aluminum, for example, has a
the industry has taken steps to reduce the toxicity of vinyl. Harmful huge environmental footprint if made from virgin material.

additives, such as lead-based stabilizers and phthalate plasticizers, are which released mercury, a persistent pollutant, into the environment.
Although this technology is being phased out, it is still widely used
being replaced by more benign chemicals. But the report concludes in China—the source of many vinyl building products.

that, despite these improvements, the fundamental hazards of PVC Dioxin Emissions. The manufacture of PVC releases dioxins, a potent
and persistent carcinogen. The Vinyl Institute claims the industry
remain, and that healthier alternatives exist for many PVC products has reduced dioxin emissions by 82 percent since 2000; however, an
analysis of data reported to the EPA from the industry shows that
(see chart). Here are some highlights from the report: neither rates of production nor dioxin emissions have not changed
substantially in the last 15 years.
A PROBLEMATIC LIFE CYCLE
Vinyl Chloride Monomer (VCM). This potent human carcinogen is the
PVC is a chlorinated plastic that poses environmental and health concerns precursor to polyvinyl chloride resins. In 2014 alone, vinyl chloride
in all phases of its life cycle. Here are some of the biggest concerns: monomer and PVC manufacturers released 531,203 pounds of VCM
into the air.
MANUFACTURING
Mercury Pollution. PVC is made by reacting chlorine with ethylene. In
the past, chlorine was extracted from salt water using mercury cells,

58 GREEN BUILDER Special Awards Issue 2016 www.greenbuildermedia.com