Is PVC the new asbestos?
I’ve been deeply immersed in the story of asbestos lately, as my Twitter followers may have noticed. If you don’t know the story, it’s a shocker – complete with murderous evil corporations, political compliance, and countless victims dead and dying. I highly recommend Michael Bowker’s Fatal Deception for a primer. The scariest thing about asbestos is that it’s still legal here in the US of A. That’s right – a known killer is still LEGAL and may I add, very profitable for US industry. (Take a sec to write to Congress now to get asbestos banned. Seriously, it only takes a second, or maybe two)
Image credit: Glue and Glitter
Which brings me to another toxic killer: PVC (Polyvinyl Chloride). Like asbestos, PVC has been banned by many of the industrialized EXCEPT the US. It’s in a ton of products, including your cheap yoga mat. Yup, every deep inhale on your mat brings just a few more of those carcinogenic phthalates deep into your lungs.
Look, I honestly don’t care whether you buy one of my eco yoga mats or someone else’s (okay, yes I do just a little bit), but please for the love of all that is holy, do not buy a cheap PVC yoga mat. By the way, one of the largest and most respected sellers of yoga mats, yoga DVDs, and suppliers of “green living” products makes and sells PVC yoga mats. Beware.
The below is an excerpt from PVC the new asbestos:
My neighbor and I were having a conversation not long ago and she’d mentioned that she and her family have been looking to replace their doors and windows, frames included. They were considering PVC. By the way, PVC in French is PVC (pey’ vey sey).
Me: “WHY??! Why on earth would you get PVC doors and windows and frames? Or anything PVC for that matter?!”
Her: “Euh, calm down. What is so wrong PVC? It’s convenient because we don’t need to paint it, you know.”
Me: “PVC is terribly toxic for you, your family and the environment. And it’s cheap plastic, and plastic is ugly. If you care about your family, you won’t allow anything made from PVC in your home. Do you know that all hospitals in France had to replace all the PVC because it was endangering lives? It is a health and safety requirement because it is extremely detrimental, but the home improvement industry and the plastics (oil) industry have hidden its danger from the general public. Just like with asbestos, a while ago. No one thought asbestos was hazardous, but look now. Mesothelioma, the cancer specifically related to asbestos in homes skyrocketed. The number of people who have been diagnosed with mesothelioma has increased significantly in the past 30 years. Although many advances in treatment have been made, there is no cure for this type of cancer. Industries eventually had to fess up and stop producing it and selling it. And now, you can’t use asbestos anymore. Well, it’s the same with PVC, except that they haven’t gotten to the ‘fess up’ part.” It makes too much money for them so they will continue to sell the cheapest and most toxic kind of plastic known to man until the law says they can’t anymore.
Me: “I’m sure in the 70s, people were saying stuff like, “Oh! We’re getting our home insulated with asbestos! We’re getting asbesto ceilings and floors. Isn’t that great!!!?”
Me: “Today, you’re saying, ‘Oh! we’re getting new PVC windows, doors, gutters, pipes, hoses – isn’t that great!?’ NO. that is not great. PVC is the new asbestos. By the way, you know those vertical window blinds? They’re made of PVC.” (My sweetie calls it Pour Votre Cancer.)