Here at Premium Flooring we are going PVC Free.
Why go PVC Free?
PVC contaminates humans and the environment throughout its lifecycle: during its production, use, and disposal. Few consumers realise that PVC is the single most environmentally damaging of all plastics. As the environmental and health costs of PVC become recognised, practical alternatives like our EcoFlex NXT carpet tiles are leading the charge in phasing it out. PVC is listed as a Red List material by the Living Building Institute; the toxic dioxins released during its life cycle have been linked to chronic disease in humans by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
Taken as a whole, the production and disposal of PVC (or vinyl) plastic comprises one of the world’s largest sources of dioxins. Dioxins are created when PVC is produced and when it is burned in incinerators, open fires, landfill fires, etc.
PVC related dioxins
Dioxins are unusually stable chemicals and do not break down readily in the environment. Consequently, they can be carried great distances by air and ocean currents, circulating throughout the global environment. Dioxins do not dissolve readily in water, but do dissolve easily in fats. As a result, they build up in the fatty tissues of living organisms, beginning with simple creatures such as phytoplankton and increasing to higher levels as they are passed up the food chain. Animals at the top of the food chain, such as people, and those with a high fat content, such as whales, polar bears or dolphins, generally carry the highest levels of dioxins.
What is the risk to human health?
In 2000, the EPA classified dioxins as a human carcinogen, estimating a 1 in 1,000 risk to Americans of cancer due to dioxin exposure. Dioxins are also associated with a wide range of other health impacts including: Male and female reproductive problems, suppression of the immune system, diabetes, organ toxicity and altered sex ratio (reduced number of male offspring) mimicking or blocking the actions of hormones.
Why go PVC Free?
PVC contaminates humans and the environment throughout its lifecycle: during its production, use, and disposal. Few consumers realise that PVC is the single most environmentally damaging of all plastics. As the environmental and health costs of PVC become recognised, practical alternatives like our EcoFlex NXT carpet tiles are leading the charge in phasing it out. PVC is listed as a Red List material by the Living Building Institute; the toxic dioxins released during its life cycle have been linked to chronic disease in humans by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
Taken as a whole, the production and disposal of PVC (or vinyl) plastic comprises one of the world’s largest sources of dioxins. Dioxins are created when PVC is produced and when it is burned in incinerators, open fires, landfill fires, etc.
PVC related dioxins
Dioxins are unusually stable chemicals and do not break down readily in the environment. Consequently, they can be carried great distances by air and ocean currents, circulating throughout the global environment. Dioxins do not dissolve readily in water, but do dissolve easily in fats. As a result, they build up in the fatty tissues of living organisms, beginning with simple creatures such as phytoplankton and increasing to higher levels as they are passed up the food chain. Animals at the top of the food chain, such as people, and those with a high fat content, such as whales, polar bears or dolphins, generally carry the highest levels of dioxins.
What is the risk to human health?
In 2000, the EPA classified dioxins as a human carcinogen, estimating a 1 in 1,000 risk to Americans of cancer due to dioxin exposure. Dioxins are also associated with a wide range of other health impacts including: Male and female reproductive problems, suppression of the immune system, diabetes, organ toxicity and altered sex ratio (reduced number of male offspring) mimicking or blocking the actions of hormones.
