The hard truth about PVC
Mark Lucuik, Director of Sustainability, Morrison Hershfield
Tuesday, July 2, 2013
The Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment (CCME) and the Canadian packaging industry are working toward the elimination of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) in rigid plastic packaging. Does PVC in building products present the same kind of concerns that the CCME has raised about packaging? Which products typically contain PVC and what are the alternatives?
In terms of the first part of the question, which relates to whether we should be concerned about PVC in buildings, the short answer is yes – but it requires an explanation.
PVC is not a renewable resource and it degrades slowly. However, using a life cycle assessment approach – a quantitative analysis of the environmental impacts of a product from cradle to grave – PVC typically scores no worse than steel in most categories, even though almost half of its ingredients are oil-based. So, while it is not a good product, it may not be as harmful to the environment as many people believe.
That being said, PVC is comprised of a plethora of chemical compounds, many of which can be harmful to humans. Dioxins, mercury, chlorine and cadmium are only a few of the chemicals associated with the manufacture, use and disposal of PVC. These chemicals have serious negative impacts on human health. Therefore, industry should avoid using PVC in areas where it could be ingested such as in water supply pipes, plumbing fixtures and food production spaces. In other areas, there are more natural alternatives to PVC that can be used such as wool carpet, wood furniture and flooring, or paints in lieu of wall coverings, all of which are often readily available.
As for the second part of the question, the building industry uses PVC regularly. It’s used in the the production of plumbing pipes, siding and windows, for example, as well as in not so obvious applications, including carpets, wallpaper, vapour barriers and plumbing fixtures. But, while it is difficult to construct a building without using PVC, it is not impossible.
The Living Building Challenge, a certification program that works towards the creation of the ‘greenest’ and most sustainable practices in building construction, has put PVC on its red list, meaning that builders must avoid using it completely. Many of those attempting the Living Building Challenge find this exclusion to be one of the more difficult hurdles in achieving the designation.
Mark Lucuik is the director of sustainability at Morrison Hershfield, a multi-disciplinary North American engineering firm that provides services within the transportation, building, municipal, utilities and telecommunications sectors. Mark has been involved in the field of sustainability since the early 1990s, and has worked on many notable North American green buildings.