Health & Safety

PVC Wheelchair Design Offers Affordable Mobility to Colombians in Need
MEDELLIN, Colombia, Oct. 7, 2009 – A newly designed wheelchair incorporating PVC tubes provides mobility for physically handicapped people who could not previously afford them.

Non-Profit Group Delivers PVC Pipe, Clean Water to Impoverished Villages
DOMINICAN REPUBLIC, July 6, 2009 – A teenage jaunt has turned into a lifelong mission to build PVC/vinyl aqueducts in some of the Dominican Republic’s most remote villages.

Vinyl Products Rejuvenate Virginia Assisted Living Facility
RICHMOND, Va., May 21, 2009 – An assisted living facility has an updated look thanks to vinyl plank, vinyl wallcoverings, window treatments, and vinyl-backed carpet.

Vinyl Roof Prevents Destruction of Ontario Businesses
NORTH BAY, Ontario, Jan. 30, 2009 – A flame resistant vinyl roof prevented fire from destroying several businesses housed in a North Bay building.

Vinyl Industry Offers 'Second Opinion' on Green Guide for Health Care
ARLINGTON, Va., Sept. 5, 2008 – The vinyl, chlorine, cement and other industries raised objections to material bias and discrimination in round-two comments on the Green Guide for Health Care.

PVC Pipe Provides Lab Rat Habitat
ITAJAI, Brazil, July 25, 2008 (VNS) – Polyvinyl chloride (PVC) pipes and connectors are serving as unique respite for laboratory rats and mice, providing them with a more natural habitat.

PVC Pipe Saves Shark from Jaws of Life
CAPE BYRON MARINE PARK, New South Wales, Australia, July 17, 2008 (VNS) – An endangered grey nurse shark was freed from a giant gaff hook with the help of a PVC pipe.

Dr. Joseph Schwarcz Dismisses PVC Shower Curtain Scare
ARLINGTON, Va., JULY 14, 2008 – Dr. Joseph Schwarcz criticized the research methodology and claims made by the Center for Health, Environment and Justice alleging vinyl shower curtains are toxic.

‘New York Times’ Continues to Scrub PVC Shower Curtain Scare
ARLINGTON, Va., July 9, 2008 (VNS) – Weeks after an environmental group issued a report alleging PVC shower curtains are toxic and harmful, media organizations continue to discredit the report.

Shower Curtain Scare Story Called Exaggerated, 'Wild'
ARLINGTON, Va. June 26, 2008 (VNS) – An activist report claiming vinyl shower curtains are dangerous, was criticized by news organizations for its sloppy research and scare-mongering.

PVC Pipe Supplies Water to Thousands of Honduran Villagers
LAS COLINAS DE SUIZA, Honduras, June 17, 2008 (VNS) – PVC pipe will supply water to 8,000 Honduran residents thanks to the Colorado School of Mines, and the Plastic Pipe and Fittings Association.

Patrick Moore Calls California PVC Packaging Bill ‘Wrong-Headed’
ARLINGTON, Va., June 17, 2008 (VNS) – Greenpeace co-founder Patrick Moore wrote to the San Francisco Chronicle saying a bill targeting PVC packaging lacks scientific basis.

Shower Curtains Declared Harmless
ARLINGTON, Va., June 12, 2008 (VNS) – Decades of research and use prove that shower curtains made of vinyl are safe, effective and deserve their popularity, the Vinyl Institute said this morning.

Strong, Flexible, Low-Maintenance Vinyl Fencing Keeps Horses Safe
BEECHER, Ill., June 6, 2008 (VNS) – The vinyl fencing around Welch Standardbreds horse farm was financed not by a bank loan, but by Pokagon, a 3-year-old pacer who won a $200,000 race in Canada.

Chlorinated PVC Pipe Keeps Olympic Pool Water at a Perfect 10
BEIJING, May 1, 2008 (VNS) – The pristine water the world will see in the main swimming pool at the Summer Olympics flows through a water treatment system that includes 4,300 feet of CPVC pipe.

VI Letter to NBC Producers Attacks Misinformation in Today Show Reports
WASHINGTON, D.C., April 18, 2008 (VNS) – The Vinyl Institute told NBC News producers that inaccurate and misleading information about PVC unnecessarily confused and alarmed Today Show viewers.

Plastics Industry Disputes NBC’s Critical Report on Plastic Bottles
WASHINGTON, D.C., April 14, 2008 (VNS) – The plastics industry mobilized a full-court press to fight misleading and inaccurate allegations on the safety of plastic bottles aired on the Today Show.

Vinyl Furniture Selected to Help Curb Hospital Infections
MELBOURNE, Australia, Jan. 4, 2008 (VNS) – One of Australia’s leading hospitals announced a major investment in vinyl furniture to help curb dangerous infections. Other major hospitals are likely to follow suit, according to the Melbourne Age.

Vinyl Institute to Launch Aggressive Safety/Benefits Campaign for Packagers
ARLINGTON, Va., Dec. 13, 2007 (VNS) – The Vinyl Institute said today it would launch an aggressive information campaign for retailers and packagers aimed at providing facts about PVC’s safety and benefits.

Vinyl Seen as Important Tool Against Spread of Infections
ARLINGTON, Va., Dec. 7, 2007 (VNS) – Growing concern over the spread of infections in hospitals has placed new focus on the importance of vinyl in fighting disease-carrying germs, according to the Vinyl Institute and other experts.

The Vinyl Institute Response to News Report on Target’s Reduction in Use of PVC for Packaging and Children's Products
ARLINGTON, Va., Nov. 6, 2007 (VNS) – The Vinyl Institute (VI) expressed disappointment today over a news report that Target Corp. is reducing its use of PVC for packaging and children’s products.

Thoroughly Purple PVC Pipe Keeps Recycled Water from Being Used for Drinking
EASTLAKE, Calif., Oct. 16, 2007 (VNS) – Seventeen stores at a local business center discovered this summer that recycled—not drinking-quality—water was flowing through their taps. The root cause was that the pipes carrying the water were not really purple, which is the designated color for pipes carrying recycled or reclaimed water.

Hospital’s Seamless Vinyl Floors Prevent Flood Damage
LOS ANGELES, Aug. 6, 2007 (VNS) – A loose screw in a faucet valve sent water gushing into a utility room at White Memorial Hospital here last week – but because the flooring was sheet vinyl, the water was contained and quickly cleaned up, avoiding serious potential damage, hospital vice president Albert Deininger reports.

Packaging Study Shows Need for More Vigilance To Ensure Compliance, Vinyl Institute Says
ARLINGTON, Va., July 18, 2007 (VNS) – The Vinyl Institute said today that a recent study finding some packaging and inks on packaging of imported products out of compliance with several states’ lead and cadmium limits suggested a need for more vigilance by the import/distribution/retail chain in ensuring product and packaging compliance.

Energy-Saving PVC Water Barriers Protect Against Floods, Fires and Hazmat Spills
VICTORIAVILLE, Quebec, June 26, 2007 (VNS) – Tough, portable, reusable PVC water barriers have become a valuable new tool in fighting emergencies ranging from floods to hazmat spills to forest fires.

PVC Saves Lives In Developing World
LONGMONT, Colo., June 5, 2007 (VNS) – Physicians working with the world-renowned Doctors Without Borders have saved countless lives by bringing medical care to remote regions of the world. More recently, engineers and engineering students working with Engineers Without Borders-USA have also been saving lives and improving living conditions for tens of thousands by bringing clean drinking water, sanitation and irrigation systems to the developing countries of Africa, Asia and Latin America.

Scientific Studies Confirm Safety of PVC
ARLINGTON, Va., May 24, 2007 (VNS) – The safety of PVC in consumer products is well established and has been confirmed by numerous government health and safety agencies in the US and worldwide over many years, according to a new study released today by the Vinyl Institute.

Vinyl Institute Statement on Lead Reported in Baby Bibs
ARLINGTON, Va., May 3, 2007 (VNS) – The Vinyl Institute (VI) today expressed concern over reports that some vinyl baby bibs sold in the United States might contain elevated levels of lead. The Institute commended the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) for taking action to test the products for possible lead exposure and for providing information to the public about the potential risks.

Government Reaffirms Safety of Vinyl Lunchboxes
ARLINGTON, Va., Feb. 22, 2007 (VNS) – The Vinyl Institute today welcomed a statement by the Consumer Product Safety Commission reaffirming the safety of vinyl lunchboxes.

PVC Water Pipes Found Superior
WASHINGTON, D.C., Feb. 8, 2007 (VNS) –With the new Congress pushing legislation to renew America’s aging drinking water and wastewater infrastructures, experts say the many advantages of PVC pipe will make it the material of choice for renewal programs throughout the country.

NASA Chooses PVC for Critical Underwater Training
HOUSTON, Feb. 5, 2007 (VNS) – One of the ways astronauts build the critical teamwork skills needed in space is by working together on difficult projects underwater. One project – scheduled for May – is to build a 25-foot lattice tower of PVC pipe on the ocean floor off the Florida Keys. It will later be dismantled.

St. Paul Pioneer Press Letter to the Editor: Writer Puts Ideology Over Safety
Elizabeth Dickinson's Oct. 6 letter about Target's "refusal" to phase out PVC plastic is so misleading it's hard to address ("Phase out PVC plastic").

Vinyl Protesters Have Ideological Agenda
WASHINGTON, D.C., Nov. 6, 2006 (VNS) – The recent protests at Target stores for selling products made of vinyl (PVC) reflect the protesters’ political and ideological agenda, not genuine health or environmental concerns, according to Greenpeace co-founder and longtime leader Patrick Moore.

Phthalates in Medical (PDF)
Soft PVC in medical devices saves thousands of lives...

Vinyl 'Justifiably Trusted'
ARLINGTON, Va., Oct. 23, 2006 (VNS) – Vinyl Institute President Tim Burns, in a letter to the Wall Street Journal, emphasized that vinyl is “justifiably trusted and widely used” in health care, where it is the leading material in numerous “critical-care medical devices regulated for safety by the Food and Drug Administration.”

Wall Street Journal - To the Editor
Wall Street Journal - To the Editor: Re: Hospitals Go ‘Green’ (Oct. 4, 2006, Page D1)

Activist Tactics Seen Scaring Consumers
ARLINGTON, Va., Oct. 6, 2006 (VNS) – Activist groups are trying to scare consumers and retailers by raising phony safety concerns about many useful, needed and safe everyday products made of vinyl (PVC) and other plastics, a major industry group said today.

CPSC Corrects Record on Vinyl Lunchboxes
WASHINGTON, D.C., Feb. 20, 2007 (VNS) – The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) issued a statement pointing out how news reports and content on special interest group websites have “incorrectly” interpreted the Commission’s findings in its testing of vinyl lunchboxes.