PVC Plastics
Major Companies Stopping the Use of PVC, the Poison Plastic
November 2010
Toxic PVC plastic is coming out of packaging! Johnson & Johnson, Procter &Gamble, and Clorox have all announced progress in phasing out the poison plastic PVC from their packaging. Johnson & Johnson reported in their most recent report that they have “eliminated 84 percent of our secondary and tertiary PVC packaging across the company.” Procter and Gamble announced they’re committed to “entirely eliminating PVC packaging within two years.” Clorox announced they’re identifying “alternatives to PVC for all packaging.”
You can avoid PVC packaging by looking for the 3 inside the recycling symbol and/or the letters “v” or “PVC” underneath the symbol. If you see this, that means it contains PVC. Go to CHEJ’s PVC Products In Your Home webpage for more info.
Two sites on Vinyl or PVC plastics and health effects:
HealthyStuff.org and This Vinyl School have released the largest-ever study of harmful chemicals in flooring materials. They report that vinyl building materials like flooring and wallpaper often contain unacceptable levels of chemicals, lead and cadmium.
Phthalates are hazardous chemicals used to soften PVC products. A 2008 European study found an association between concentrations of phthalates in indoor dust and wheezing among preschool children, especially when PVC flooring was in the child’s bedroom. There are many, many products that contain PVC. There are safer alternatives to most.
These vinyl building materials are also in our schools, from playground equipment, binders and pens, computers, to furniture and clothing.
Go to CHEJ’s new resource, This Vinyl School, to learn more about where the poison plastic PVC is found and alternatives to PVC.
Center for Health Environment & Justice’s PVC-free schools toolkit at
Comments are closed.