It is fabricated efficiently into a wide range of both rigid and flexible products. PVC also has inherent flame resistance. Substitutes for PVC materials may be available, but often the alternative materials and processes are not as efficient or substitution costs are high. Dioxin comes from many sources, according to EPA.
PVC is an extremely small source, so small that levels of dioxin in the environment would be essentially unchanged even if vinyl were not being manufactured and used every day in important products. Overall dioxin levels in the environment have decreased by more than 90 percent since , during which time production and use of vinyl have more than tripled. Phthalate plasticizers are added to vinyl when flexible products are being made. Phthalates have been thoroughly studied and reviewed by a number of government scientific agencies and regulatory bodies world-wide and these agencies have concluded that phthalates used in commercial products do not pose a risk to human health at typical exposure levels.
Information collected by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention over the last 10 years indicates that, despite the fact that phthalates are used in many products, exposure is extremely low — significantly lower than any levels of concern set by regulatory agencies. Stabilizers are added to vinyl formulations to lubricate and control the integrity of the material in the manufacturing process, or for coloring.
They are held tightly in the material. In the United States, lead and cadmium have been almost entirely phased out of vinyl consumer products. The Vinyl Institute. The chlorine is then combined with ethylene that has been obtained from oil. The resulting element is ethylene dichloride, which is converted at very high temperatures to vinyl chloride monomer. These monomer molecules are polymerized forming polyvinyl chloride resin. On the other hand flexible PVC is achieved by adding plasticizers such as phthalates.
Furthermore, pure poly-chloroethene is unstable when exposed to visible light or UV. In order to modify this disadvantage and make it suitable for different applications antioxidants are added. Some other additives comprise:. This is due to its chlorine compound. This makes it an ideal construction and cable material.
This makes it ideal to be use in cables. Manufacture of PVC The manufacturing plastics often creates large quantities of toxic chemical pollutants such as dioxin, hydrochloric acid, and vinyl chloride. This poses a severe health risks to humans during the PVC life cycle. These toxins can produce sever illness like cancer, diabetes, neurological damage, reproductive and birth defects.
Dioxin is a persistent Organic Pollutants POPs , this are chemical substances that persist in the environment, bio-accumulate through the food chain, and pose a risk of causing adverse effects to human health and the environment. In addition, the chloro-ethene monomer is also a carcinogen released during PVC manufacture. This un-reacted monomer can also be present in the final PVC and released during its life cycle.
Plasticizers added to make PVC flexible, may leach out ex. Disposal Plastic was almost too good, as it was durable and degraded very slowly. Volksparkstadion roof, Hamburg. Cape Town World Cup Stadium. Stadium seating. Picture: Fotalia. In addition to use in stadiums and sporting venues, PVC is used extensively by athletes from the clothes and shoes they wear to the equipment they use and the surfaces they compete on.
Picture: Tarkett 2 All weather sailing protection 3 Inflatable climbing wall. Picture: Courtesy of Akcros Chemicals. Other sporting applications: performance sports surfaces, sports equipment, clothing, protective barriers, matting, wiring and piping infrastructure.
More information on the role of PVC in sport can be found at www. PVC is widely used in coated fabrics applications, this includes use in emergency shelters to help people at times of disaster. PVC's contribution is by no means limited to its products. The PVC industry is also setting a unique example in the process of working together as a supply chain in driving forward sustainable development.
There are many definitions of Sustainability and Sustainable Development, but it can best be defined by the three main pillars of sustainability; social, economic and environmental.
The structure and composition of PVC lends itself to being mechanically recycled, with reasonable ease, to produce good quality recycling material. As with most recycling streams, sorting is of the utmost importance to achieve optimal recycling of PVC materials. Acrosss the world, the PVC industry has invested heavily to develop sophisticated recycling schemes to ensure that large amounts of PVC can be reused in a new generation of advanced energy efficient, sustainable products.
This investment has meant that not just prodcution off-cuts are recycled but also products such as doors and PVC-U windows are recycled on a huge global scale. Whilst old windows are recycled, the process is far more complex that off-cuts due to contamination such as building debris e. The Recofloor scheme, managed by Axion Consulting Ltd, provides a mechanism for waste vinyl flooring to be collected and recycled. The scheme accepts uplifted vinyl flooring and post-installation off-cuts.
The recycled flooring can be used in the manufacture of new flooring or to produce traffic management products such as traffic cones and road sign bases. For further information, please visit, www. The scheme involves the collection of used PVC medical devices including IV solution bags; nasal cannulas; oxygen tubes; anaesthetic masks and oxygen masks. With around hospitals in the UK, estimates put the total tonnage of PVC waste at over 2, tonnes per annum.
The report, published June , showed PVC products to be comparable to alternatives in their environmental impact. The report can be downloaded from the Europa website. Eco-profiles provide environmental analysis for a product from 'cradle-to-gate' as opposed to the 'cradle-to-grave' approach of Life Cycle Assessment.
A Total Cost of Ownership study takes into account all costs associated with a product over its entire life cycle. The study focussed on three particular applications; windows, flooring and outdoor pipes, utilising data from Germany and Italy judged to be a fair representation of conditions in north and south European countries.
The study concluds that not only does PVC provide decisive cost advantages due to its low initial purchase price but also in its low cost of ownership throughout the life of the product. Click here to download the final report. Click here to download the ECVM leaflet. Since the 90's , the European PVC Industry has been working hard to embrace its responsibility to the challenge of sustainable development.
The European PVC Industry's ten-year Voluntary Committment to Sustainable Development, know as Vinyl , made exceptional progress in waste management, recycling and the responsible use of additives. Following the conclusion of the Vinyl ten year programme, new targets for sustainable development were launched as part of the successor VinylPlus programme. For more information, please visit www. PVC provides industries with a series of critical advantages that have cemented its place as one of the most popular and widely used plastics on the market.
These advantages include:. PVC's advantages helped solidify its place as one of the most used plastics around the world. However, even though it's widely effective and popular, you have to consider some factors when using the material. While PVC has a host of advantages that make it a desirable material to work with, there are some reasons to take caution.
The disadvantages that you have to account for when using PVC include:. Although there are some shortcomings, Polyvinyl Chloride is an excellent material overall.
It has a unique blend of qualities that make it particularly useful for the construction business. By taking note and accounting for the shortcomings of the material, you can effectively navigate and compensate so you can effectively use the material in your upcoming projects. Topics: Plastics. Our expertise and unique collaborative process alleviates your stress and helps take your Design, Engineering and Prototyping process to the next level.
Home About Contact Blog. Email: info creativemechanisms. Call Now: Hardness: Rigid PVC ranks well for hardness and durability.
Strength: Rigid PVC has excellent tensile strength. How is PVC made? You can take a look at the introductory pitch video here: CNC Machining: Polyvinyl Chloride can be cut on a CNC machine , but any machinist who has tried has probably experienced degradation in the cutter depending on the material it is made. Injection Molding: Polyvinyl Chloride can be injected just like other plastics, but chlorine in the material complicates the process. Is PVC Toxic? What are the Advantages of Polyvinyl Chloride?
These advantages include: Polyvinyl Chloride is readily available and relatively inexpensive. Polyvinyl Chloride is very dense and thus very hard and resists impact deformation very well relative to other plastics.
Polyvinyl Chloride has outstanding tensile strength.
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