lead, cadmium, dioxin: eg, Massachusetts ranks third in nation on PVC products incinerated - cancer-causing dioxin - cadmium and lead into groundwater

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Massachusetts ranks third in nation on PVC products incinerated

http://www2.townonline.com/saugus/atGlance/view.bg?articleid=154759

The Alliance for a Healthy Tomorrow released a national report

today documenting the health and environmental hazards posed by PVC (the

" poison plastic " ) during manufacturing, product use and disposal.

Massachusetts incinerates a higher percentage of PVC waste than all

but two states in the nation, topping 28,145 tons every year according

to estimates in the report.

PVC is widely used in plastic pipes, building materials (such as

vinyl siding), consumer products (such as toys or tablecloths) and

disposable packaging. PVC disposal is the largest source of

dioxin-forming chlorine and hazardous phthalates in solid waste, as well

as major source of lead, and cadmium.

" PVC, Bad News Come in Threes: The Poison Plastic, Health Hazards,

and the Looming Waste Crisis " concludes that billions of pounds of PVC

are being thrown away in the U.S. - but there is no " away " as PVC waste

poses perpetual hazards.

" Burn PVC waste in incinerators as Massachusetts does in high

volume and it changes to cancer-causing dioxin, " said Luppi, Clean

Water Action Organizing Director. " Bury it in landfills and it pollutes

groundwater. Recycle PVC products and they contaminate the recycling

process. "

Disposing of PVC in incinerators and landfills poses long-term

problems, including the emission of highly toxic dioxin emissions and

leaching of toxic additives such as cadmium and lead into groundwater.

Communities are increasingly concerned about the PVC-generated

chemical emissions from incinerators and landfills in Massachusetts,

which hosts seven operating incinerators including the Wheelabrator

incinerator in Saugus.

The Saugus facility burns over 1,500 tons of trash per day, or

approximately 15 percent of all waste incinerated in Massachusetts.

Pollutants captured by emission controls are concentrated in the

incinerator ash sent to local landfills.

" Saugus and neighboring communities deserve relief from this toxic

cocktail of pollution caused by the incineration of PVC products, " said

Fae Saulenas, co-president of SAVE. " Dioxin causes cancer, and harms our

reproductive and immune systems - we must stop its build-up in the food

we eat and in our water supplies. "

Health damage associated with these toxic chemicals include

Dioxins, a family of chemicals formed as a by-product of PVC

incineration, are known to cause cancer, reproductive developmental and

immune problems. Dioxins are hazardous in minute quantities, are very

persistent and accumulate in the food chain, particularly in animal fat

cells.

Phthalates have been shown to cause developmental and reproductive

damage in animals, and have been linked to the development of

respiratory problems in children. Lead is a well-known cause of

neurodevelopmental problems. Cadmium causes cancer and kidney damage.

The report estimates that 70 billion pounds of PVC plastic are

slated for disposal in the next decade. And, the problem is going to get

worse. Disposal rates are expected to sharply increase as an estimated

125 billion pounds of PVC installed in the last 40 years in construction

and other long lasting uses will need to be disposed of as it reaches

the end of its useful life.

A growing number of corporations are phasing out PVC, including

Nike, Samsung and Firestone. The Alliance for a Healthy Tomorrow joined

with the report authors, Center for Health, Environment & Justice and

the Environmental Health Strategy Center, in sending a letter to

& and Microsoft Corporation to urge them to phase out PVC use.

These corporate targets are large users of PVC packaging such as

Microsoft's blister packs on computer software products and and

's Kids Detangling Shampoo bottles.

AHT urged consumers to check for a " 3 " or " v " and avoid PVC

products, noting " bad things come in three's - pollution, health hazards

and the looming waste crisis. "

AHT is also backing legislation in Massachusetts, which targets the

chemicals emitted during the PVC lifecycle, including dioxin emitted

during incineration of PVC and lead and phthalates that can escape from

PVC products during their use. The " Safer Alternatives " legislation,

re-filed last week, would promote the use of safer alternatives to these

chemicals whenever feasible.

" Some major medical device manufacturers are switching from using

PVC to avoid direct patient exposure to phthalates, as well as the

public and environmental health impacts of PVC throughout its life

cycle, said Ted Schettler MD, MPH of the Science and Environmental

Health Network. " Companies realize that protecting the public health and

the environment is the right thing to do and makes good business sense. "

" Given that there are viable alternatives for virtually every use

of PVC, the common sense solution to the PVC disposal crisis is not to

make it in the first place, " said Bogart, spokesperson for the

Healthy Buildings Network. " Innovative companies like Firestone are

shifting the market towards more environmentally friendly plastics -

large users like Microsoft and & s should follow their lead. "

Goods with a relatively short-useful life make up 71 percent of the

PVC found in solid waste. Blister packs (hard plastic packaging often

used for toys or computer supplies) and other vinyl packaging account

for the largest portion of short-lived PVC products (Pg. 11 Report).

More than 14 billion pounds of vinyl are produced annually in North

America (Vinyl Institute).

*

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