JenniferSpartzAnnotation14PVC

Annotation 14 PVC: The Poison Plastic This website was compiled by the Center for Health, Environment, and Justice to discuss the dangers of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) in a school environment. Based on the department, it is presumed that the people compiling the website are well educated in the relationships between health and the living environment. The site focused on the reasons why PVC is bad for the school environment and its health effects on kids. The site uses papers based on other studies to show the dangers and point out potential substitutions for PVC and their benefits to a healthier learning environment. It is said that some of the toxins PVC releases are vinyl chloride, dioxins, lead, and cadmium and because of this there is no way to safely create or destroy PVC. For example, one shower curtain has the ability to release 108 VOCs. Dioxin and other VOCs are carcinogens which can damage the central nervous system and the liver. The phthalates used to soften or plastic-coat PVC, release many of these toxins into the air. “Over 90% of all phthalates are used in PVC products including many found in schools” (CHEJ 2010). They show up in flooring, roofing, carpeting, and school supplies; all increase the chances of negative health effects on the kids. The negative health effects of PVC in general include impaired brain development in fetuses and infants as their lower weights increase their chances of being affected by toxins. Girls can develop breasts prematurely and boys can have impaired reproductive development. In homes with vinyl floors, kids are twice as likely to become autistic and the phthalates in the dust of the home can cause wheezing which later develops into asthma. Keeping PVC products clean further increases the chances of adverse health effects as some cleaners used off-gas formaldehyde. Overall, there has not been much study done on the effects of PVC on health. All of the articles on the website that discuss the problems with PVC reference the same material and most present the same information just worded differently. Just because of this however, does not mean that further studies should not be conducted. There is always the possibility that these concerns have a premise and should be topic of concern. The author of one of the articles referenced a growing trend in popular companies like Wal-Mart, Apple, and Target, to decrease the use of PVC. All in all, the authors presented a limited amount of information and just mentioned it multiple times. It is obvious that the authors are concerned about the health of the kids and are doing their best to keep away the exposure, however, there has not been much study done on the subject, so it is hard to present the magnitude of the problem without becoming repetitive. This fact does become a bit confusing when noting the number of references each article presents. This article is able to aid the group questions as it talks about contributors to poor IAQ and links the bad air quality to health concerns such as asthma. It brings forward another group that focuses on the study of asthma and its triggers. It also begins to show the importance of good health in schools, not just in the home environment. Citation: “PVC: The Poison Plastic”. Center for Health, Environment, and Justice. Accessed 18 March 2010. < http://www.besafenet.com/pvc/about.htm>.