Plastic Pipe and Fittings Association
PVC — News Stories About Plastic Pollution — Beyond Plastics
Used in everything from water pipes to vinyl records, PVC has long attracted criticism: a key ingredient is carcinogenic, and its additives include known endocrine disruptors. Now, the EPA is evaluating PVC’s safety, and an emerging global plastics treaty may limit its use.
Read MoreThe EPA announced last month that it’s launching a 12-month evaluation period for five hazardous plastic- and petrochemical-related substances, including vinyl chloride. It’s the first step in a potentially yearslong process that could lead to a nationwide ban.
Read MoreWhen Jessica Conard heard that President Biden would visit her community in East Palestine, she felt a sense of relief. Mr. Biden’s presence, she believed, would signal to the world that nothing short of disaster happened here in February, when a Norfolk Southern train skipped the tracks and spilled thousands of gallons of toxic chemicals into the environment. All these months later, she’s still waiting for him.
Read MoreThe U.S. Environmental Agency Thursday took the first step toward potentially restricting or banning the use of five toxic chemicals used to make plastics, adhesives and paints. Among them is a key ingredient in PVC plastic – vinyl chloride – a common material for water and sewer pipes, medical equipment and toys. It’s also a known carcinogen, and exposure to the substance has been linked to numerous health effects.
Read MoreThe US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on Thursday announced a review that could eventually lead to the end of PVC plastic production -- impacting everything from records to rubber ducks. Vinyl chloride, which is used in the manufacturing and processing of polyvinyl chloride (PVC), was officially classified as a human carcinogen in and banned in hair sprays, refrigerants, cosmetics and drugs.
Read MoreThe Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) began the review process for vinyl chloride, the toxic substance that spilled in the town of East Palestine, Ohio, in February, in the first step toward further restrictions or a potential ban.
Read MoreEPA announced it is prioritizing risk evaluations for five chemicals primarily used to make plastics, signaling a growing and concerted effort to crack down on plastics. Wednesday’s announcement marks the start of a 12-month process that EPA said will likely result in each chemical’s designation as a “high priority” substance under the Toxic Substances Control Act. With that designation, regulators can then launch the intensive, 3 ½-year review process that could lead to the agency banning or restricting uses of the chemical if deemed unsafe.
Read MoreThe Biden administration has initiated a formal evaluation of risks posed by vinyl chloride, the cancer-causing chemical that burned in a towering plume of toxic black smoke following a fiery train derailment earlier this year in eastern Ohio.
Read MoreI applaud the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s decision to mandate the removal of lead pipes used for drinking water nationwide. A Michigan State University professor and pediatrician was widely quoted in recent articles saying, “This is like a pediatrician’s dream come true.” But the Biden administration must ensure that we don’t swap one problematic material for another. Polyvinyl chloride, or PVC, pipes will undoubtedly be considered as a replacement for lead pipes in Chicago and elsewhere, and they come with their own serious concerns.
Read MoreEnvironmental and community groups are calling on the US EPA agency to ban vinyl chloride, a chemical used to make PVC pipes and many other consumer products. It’s also the chemical vented from five derailed train cars in East Palestine, Ohio earlier this year and burned, resulting in an explosion. The groups submitted 27,570 signatures to the agency this week.
Read MoreEast Palestine residents were in Washington, D.C., on Thursday, hoping to reach lawmakers and influence a ban on vinyl chloride nearly six months after a devastating Norfolk Southern train derailment released the toxic chemical into their community.
Read MoreThe Ohio train derailment is not a comeback story, it's a grim warning. It's about an industry that values profit over people and the environment, and about a regulatory system that has failed to keep these industries in check. There is an undeniable connection between this disaster and the plastics industry. The production of PVC plastic depends on transporting harmful chemicals like vinyl chloride. The insatiable demand for plastics has driven the need for increased transport of these hazardous substances, placing communities near rail tracks under constant threat. As company profits soar, our communities are left to grapple with the aftermath of their negligence.
Read MoreA plastics manufacturer seeking tax breaks to build a plant in Lockport has put its application on hold after being called out Thursday for circulating a summary of a study that was fabricated and produced by artificial intelligence. Prior to a public hearing Thursday, the India-based firm SRI CV Plastics, seeking $312,000 in subsidies from the Lockport Industrial Development Agency, provided the agency’s board a one-page summary of a study that touted the safety of PVC pipes, one of the products the company plans to make at the plant.
Read MoreMore than 60 organizations signed onto a letter this week urging the Lockport Industrial Development Agency not to give SRI CV Plastics $500,000 in tax abatements. Among them are the Clean Air Coalition of Western New York, the New York Public Interest Research Group and Beyond Plastic, a nationwide organization with the goal of ending plastic pollution.
Read MoreAn Indian plastics manufacturer that makes pipes and food packaging wants to set up its first U.S. production facility in the Town of Lockport, in the same business park where an affiliated wind-turbine also wants to start production.
Read MoreA toxic train derailment in Ohio has forced an uncomfortable conversation in the US. The pollution and response to the accident was bad enough for local residents, but black and lower-income communities face the effects of America’s dirty plastic industry on a daily basis.
Read MoreA report released Tuesday by a coalition of U.S. environmental advocacy groups warned of the health risks of PVC plastic and urged public officials against using the material in community drinking water pipes. PVC is made with vinyl chloride, the same hazardous material released in the fiery train derailment that triggered a public health and environmental crisis in East Palestine, Ohio. It's also a known carcinogen and endocrine disruptor.
Read MoreOutrage over last month’s Norfolk Southern train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, continued this week as former regional Environmental Protection Agency administrator Judith Enck called on the agency to ban vinyl chloride, the cancer-causing chemical at the center of the disaster.
Read MoreFor the 16th year in a row, gift cards will be the most requested present of the holiday season, according to the National Retail Federation. While many cards are often left in wallets or drawers, some just end up in the trash. Even worse, many end up getting illegally dumped in countries like Turkey, India and Mexico.
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