PVC/Vinyl the "Worst" Plastic for the Environment

["Greenbase" <greenbas@gb.greenpeace.org>]

PVC/VINYL THE  "WORST PLASTIC" FOR ENVIRONMENT

2 YEAR INVESTIGATION FINDS A COMMON PLASTIC IS LINKED TO   
DIOXIN "FALLOUT" CONTAMINATING FOOD, HUMAN BREAST MILK 

April 22, 1997 (GP) The international environmental group
Greenpeace has concluded that PVC (Polyvinyl Chloride) plastic,
commonly  known as "vinyl" or by its # 3 symbol  is the worst
plastic for the environment, after a 2 year investigation. 
Greenpeace released a series of reports today as evidence that
the production, use and disposal of PVC or vinyl, is a leading
source of dioxin fallout in the environment.   The group also
released  never before seen video footage of activists entering
vinyl factories at night and obtaining  waste samples. 

Dioxin is the most thoroughly studied toxin in the world, and is
found in all Americans at levels that pose a health risk.  The
primary routes of human contamination are food and human breast
milk.  Dioxin causes cancer in humans, according to the World
Health Organization.  It is also linked to numerous non-cancer
health impacts including: reproductive disorders, birth defects,
impaired neurological development, immune suppression, diabetes
and numerous other disorders.   

In addition to evidence linking PVC to global dioxin
contamination, Greenpeace predicted that studies to be released
later this year will prove that PVC cannot be recycled, and that 
additives in PVC pose imminent risk to humans, especially
children.  The group has also declared  U.S. PVC production to
be " a case study in environmental racism" because production
facilities have a disproportionate impact on African American
communities.  EPA is currently investigating those charges in
one case in Louisiana.

"Greenpeace has no doubt:  PVC is the worst plastic for the
environment.  People should not buy it.  From production ,
throughout its product life, and once it is thrown away, PVC is
an environmental menace and a human health risk." said  Rick
Hind of the Greenpeace toxics campaign.

Greenpeace released three new reports on the PVC industry.  One
report entitled Dioxin Factories detailed the results of a two
year undercover sampling project in which Greenpeace
campaigners, video taped with a special "night vision" camera,
sneaked into vinyl facilities to obtain samples of  toxic waste. 
The groups analysis shows these wastes to be contaminated with
dioxin that will  be released to the environment.

In a companion report, Chlorine & Dioxin: The Burning Question,
Pat Costner of the Greenpeace Science Unit  of Exeter, UK,
challenged the validity of the vinyl industry's self-styled
"premier" analysis of the relationship between chlorine bearing
wastes (such as PVC) and dioxin outputs of incinerators.  The
Greenpeace report shows that the industry analysis uses bad
data, poor methodology and reaches conclusions unsupported by
the cited data sources.  

 A third report entitled The PVC Lifecycle: Dioxin from Cradle
to  Grave identifies the multitude of points in the PVC
lifecycle where  carcinogenic dioxin is produced and released in
the environment. ####


Contacts: Charles Miller / Diane Saenz April 22, 1997          
Fenton Communications        202-822-5200
Rick Hind, Greenpeace         202-319-2505

All Materials Available at the GP Website:
http://www.greenpeace.org                                      
Photos, Video, Graphics
Jay Townsend , Greenpeace                                     
202-319-2486