The solar eclipse in early April was absolutely incredible. It did get dark in the greater Chicago area, and the dogs barked, and I even heard the roosters crow. It was a natural event that doesn’t happen very often, and it got me thinking about natural cycles, including the movement of the moon, and once in a great while, a solar eclipse. I reflected on this incredible natural occurrence, and it caused me to think about what impacts normalcy, or the normal pattern of life. Think about this!

Several weeks before the eclipse, it was snowing in northern Illinois and all over the upper Midwest. I was sitting in my upstairs office looking at the snow and anticipating the eclipse, reflecting on the cycles of the year and the movement of the moon. Our backyard is truly a sanctuary for plants, animals and birds. The winter aconite, a beautiful bright yellow, and snow drops, had come and gone. The crocuses and daffodils and hellebore were blooming but now drooping with flakes of snow. The birds, and I could hear and see them, were screaming for more food for their newborn. Winter was moving to spring, and the moon was about to pass in front of the sun. All of this beauty and the natural cycles of seasons, bringing rebirth, only to be interrupted by the unnatural, by man-made chemistry.

Someone said, “We were born to die,” but man has sure hastened the journey. In fact, sorting the good from the bad has become more and more difficult. Polytetrafluoroethylene (PFTE), the fluro-polymer used to create Teflon and per-and poly-fluroalkyl (PFAs), are not good chemistries, no matter what the manufacturers say. They have caused serious medical issues like cancer. So does PVC, polyvinyl chloride. These chemistries upset natural life cycle, add to greenhouse gas and definitely contribute to climate change. And, the moon passes in front of the sun.

I know, get to the point. Yes, I know this is a lengthy introduction to the topic of this column, PVC, but as I sat at my writing table looking at so much beauty and anticipating the eclipse, I couldn’t help thinking about how man has interrupted natural cycle and wondering, “Are all these man-made chemistries doing any good?” 

Have they made a contribution to our lives, to global harmony? I’m referring to PFTE, PFAs, and PVC. Have they brought more good to our culture? I’ve written about PFTE and PFAs in the past.  This column will examine polyvinyl chloride, PVC, something that we use in our industry in great volume.

Polyvinyl chloride, some call it vinyl, or abbreviated, PVC, is the world’s third most widely produced synthetic polymer after polyethylene (PE), number one, and polypropylene (PP), number two, in volume. According to my research, we produce about 40 million tons a year of PVC in two forms, flexible and rigid. Our industry uses flexible, but most PVC is associated with rigid PVC plastic pipe used in the building and construction industries. While there are lots of derivatives of PVC, like CPVC, PVC-O, etc., the grand-daddy is polyvinyl chloride, which is made from the polymer system of vinyl chloride. And, this is the heart of the issue –  vinyl chloride is toxic.

Acute exposure to high levels of vinyl chloride in the air has resulted in central nervous system (CNS) effects, such as dizziness, drowsiness, and headaches in humans. During its lifecycle, PVC plastic releases toxic, chlorine-based chemicals that build up in the world’s ecosystems and end up in the food chain and eventually in humans and animals. These chemicals include dioxins that are among the most toxic chemicals known to science.  Vinyl chloride is known to cause liver cancer and is associated with lymphoma, leukemia, and cancers of the brain and lungs. Pregnant women may have an increased risk of miscarriage and birth defects when exposed to high levels of vinyl chloride in the air.     Wikipedia-Toxicity

The problem, it seems to me, is not in the use of rigid PVC pipe or in flexible PVC used in graphic and decorative applications, but in the actual manufacturing of polyvinyl chloride, the chemistry, the man-made resin.

Rewind to last February (2023) when there was a train derailment in East Palestine, OH. Like so many spills the immediate reaction was muted, and the Ohio Emergency Management Agency announced that no contaminants had been detected. It turned out their initial report couldn’t have been further from the truth. Five rail cars carrying vinyl chloride began “releasing the chemicals into a trough that was ignited,  creating a large plume above the city.  Videos and photos showed an oily inferno of burning vinyl chloride towering over East Palestine.” 

The city and residents within a mile of the spill were evacuated, and if you read any of the reports, it was defined as a major environmental spill/disaster. The toxic combination caused illnesses of all kinds and over a year later we still don’t know the long-term effects of the contamination on those near the derailment.

I honestly don’t think the spill in East Palestine caused the EPA to put vinyl chloride on their list of chemicals to be “risk evaluated” under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA). It was already being considered for specific evaluation, but the spill was the tipping point, without a doubt. However, the result means that eventually this chemistry might lead to a possible future ban. Keep in mind, concern of health impact caused by vinyl chloride has been around since the 1970s, that’s 50 years. Interestingly, part of the reason TSCA was created was the concern of health issues caused by PVC. (Why in the world does it take us so long to act, to put the dots together? Why??)

In a recent note from Judith Enck, president of Beyond Plastics and former EPA regional administrator, she concluded the move for more in-depth evaluation to be “one of the most important chemical review processes ever introduced by the EPA.” 

She continues:
Most vinyl chloride is used to make polyvinyl chloride (PVC) plastic, which poses significant health and environmental problems that have been known for over 50 years. I applaud the EPA for launching this review.

Look, I am not angry at plastics. I know their benefits and improvements in efficiencies in packaging, longer shelf life, etc. What upsets me is the use of materials in our industry that create end-of-life issues and/or cause health issues. Vinyl chloride, a known carcinogen, is used to make PVC.

Anyone who thinks we can just incinerate or landfill PVC by-product is just plain wrong. The solution is to stop using these bad materials.

There are alternatives to traditional PVC. Flexibles that are non-chlorinated. In fact, the suppliers of traditional PVC substrates offer non-chlorinated vinyls. The problem: they cost more money. And the moon passes in front of the sun.

P.S.  As this column goes to press, the State of Rhode Island has introduced House Bill 7619, which:

Prohibits the sale and distribution of any packaging, packaging component or reusable packaging that contains polyvinyl chloride (PVC) or polystyrene. Components include labels, inks and adhesives, and the restriction also applies to intentionally added PFAS.  Status: 2/24/2024 – In initial Committee assignment.

Calvin Frost is chairman of Channeled Resources Group, headquartered in Chicago, the parent company of Maratech International and GMC Coating. His email address is [email protected].