By ten short facts, the PVC Information Council Denmark wishes to clear out the misunderstandings, that most often appear, in connection with the use of PVC.
01 PVC WASTE IS NOT CAUSING BIG PROBLEMS IN INCINERATION
In 2001 the PVC Information Council Denmark had a report worked out that should throw light on the latest knowledge of the role of the PVC waste in incineration. It turns out that the PVC waste has not the big, negative influence, that has been the conception until now.
The environmentally problematic residues, that are a result of the incineration process, are, for the main part, owing to other types of waste than PVC
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. In the report it is concluded, among other things, that only 5% of the quantity of residues, that is generated in the wet incineration, is owing to PVC. As for the dry incineration, 20% of the residues are owing to PVC. About 70% of the Danish waste is being treated in wet incineration.
02 PVC WASTE IS NOT CAUSING THE DIOXIN DEVELOPMENT IN
INCINERATION
Ten years ago it was the perception that the PVC waste was the main cause to the dioxin emission, that is taking place in connection with incineration of waste in the incinerators.
Now we know that it is not the presence of PVC waste, but, on the contrary, the incineration conditions that are causing the development of dioxin. This means that if you kept away any form of PVC from the incinerators, you would not gain any reduction in the dioxin emission.
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By the way the dioxin emissions from incinerators are considered safe.
03 LEAD IS NOT USED IN DANISH PVC-PRODUCTS
The often heard argument of the municipalities for not buying PVC is that the products contains lead. We can inform that Danish manufacturers a couple of years ago agreed with the environmental authorities on a phase-out-schedule for lead as stabilizer in Danish
PVC. This phase-out-schedule is now fulfilled, and this means that there is no longer lead in Danish PVC products. 3

04 THERE ARE NO WORKING ENVIRONMENT PROBLEMS ON
MANUFACTURING PVC RAW MATERIAL
The criticism of the use of PVC was originally related to the serious working environment problems, that were earlier connected with the exposure of the PVC workers of the carcinogenic substance, VCM, that is generated during the raw material production of PVC. Already thirty years ago these problems were solved. There are no longer problems in the working environment in connection with VCM. The exposure of the PVC workers is regulated by an EU directive today, that secures that the risk is negligible. 4 (As a matter of fact, no VCM exposure has ever taken place in connection with the converting proces of PVC.)
05 THE PVC INDUSTRY IS UNDERTAKING AN UNTRADITIONAL
SUSTAINABLE INITIATIVE
As first and until now only industry, the joined PVC industrial network has signed a sustainable programme. The programme, which is called Vinyl 2010, includes both the ten raw material manufacturers, that are in Europe, and the about 23.000 companies, that are manufacturing products of the raw material PVC. Also the plasticizer and stabilizer producers are included in the programme. The results achieved are published in a progress report every year, that is being audited by an independent body. 5
06 PVC BUILDING WASTE IS BEING RECYCLED
Today more and more PVC waste is being collected and recycled. The recycling company,
WUPPI A/S, has made agreements with almost all the municipalities of the country, which are sorting the rigid PVC building waste for recycling. When the waste has been collected, it is being crushed, and there will be manufactured new PVC products of the old ones. 6
07 SOFT OUTSOURCED PVC WASTE CAN SOON BE RECYCLED
Today it is difficult to recycle the plasticized PVC products. In Denmark it is currently a demand that the PVC waste fractions, which are not recyclable, shall be deposited. Within short this will be history. At the Stigsnæs Industrimiljø the recycling company, RGS90, is building a large, chemical recycling plant for both plasticized and rigid PVC waste. The
Stigsnæs is already now receiving PVC waste, and the plant will be fully operational by

2004. The plant has been supported financially with some million € by as well the
European Union as the European PVC Industry. 7
08 THE PVC MANUFACTURERS ARE CURRENTLY REDUCING THE
LEAKAGE TO ENVIRONMENT
Already in 1995 the European PVC raw material manufacturers, ECVM, signed an environment charter, according to which the companies commit themselves to let off lower emissions to environment than the statutory demand. 8
09 THERE IS A BIG DIFFERENCE AMONG THE EFFECTS OF THE
PHTHALATES ON HEALTH AND ENVIRONMENT
In Denmark the former social democratic government draw up an action plan on phthalates according to which all phthalates were considered alike. For the time being the
European Union is just about to finalize a specific risk assessment of the phthalates most commonly used. The outcome will prove that there is a big difference on the environmental and health effects, that the various phthalates are blamed for in the different types of products. This means that there will probably only be set guidelines about a reduction of the use of some types of phthalates in some products, while others will be recognized as fully safe to use. 9
10 THE PHTHALATES ARE NOT CARCINOGENIC
Previously the most commonly used phthalate, DEHP, have been under the suspicion of being carcinogenic. The UN organization WHO, that is classifying carcinogenic substances, has now decided to de-classify DEHP. Thus DEHP is no longer classified as
“might be carcinogenic to humans”, but as “not carcinogenic to humans”. 10
PVC Information Council Denmark
Copenhagen 2003

1 Ole Hjelmar: Forbrænding af PVC: påvirkning af massestrømmene gennem et forbrændingsanlæg
(Incineration of PVC: impact of mass streams through an incinerator) only Danish version available. DHI
2002. See also the PVC Information English website, www.pvc.dk, News 23.05.02 “The PVC Information
Council releases new report on incineration of PVC”. The report also concludes that by incinerating one kilo pure PVC in wet incinerators, a residue of about one half to one kilo is generated. It has previously been the
2 perception that the quantity generated was far bigger.
”Auswirkungen verschiedener Kunststoffabfälle auf die Hausmüllverbrenning“ (Impacts of various plastic wastes on the household waste incineration) only German version available. Jürgen Vehlow et. al in Umwelt
Praxis Jan/Feb 2003. See also „Strategy for the PVC field. Status summary and future initiatives” the
Ministry of the Environment 1999 p. 15, where the Danish Environmental Protection Agency points the inappropriateness in coupling PVC waste with the generating of dioxin. The strategy can be read on the PVC
Information Council English website, www.pvc.dk, Legislation. Only Danish version available.
3 Executive order on ban against import and sale of products, that contain lead. No. 1012 of 13.11.00. See also the PVC Information English website, www.pvc.dk, News 14.11.00 “Svend Auken has now signed the executive order on lead”.
4 Council Directive 78/610/EEC” on the approximation of the laws, regulations and administrative provisions of the Member States on the protection of the health of workers exposed to vinyl chloride monomer”. See also the PVC Information English website, www.pvc.dk, News 02.02.99 “Risk of cancer eliminated through improved working environment”.
5 Vinyl 2010 The Voluntary Commitment of the PVC Industry. The agreement can be read on the Vinyl 2010 website www.Vinyl2010.org. See also reference to the latest Progress Report from Vinyl 2010 on the PVC
Information English website, www.pvc.dk, News 15.05.03 “The PVC Industry proves progresses with sustainable initiative”.
6 See e.g. the recycling company for rigid PVC WUPPI’s website: www.wuppi.dk
7 See e.g. the PVC Information Council English website, www.pvc.dk, under News 19.06.03 “The EU financially supports PVC recycling with 3 million €”.
8 ECVM Industry Charter for Production of VCM and PVC. The charter can be read on the ECVM website: www.ecvm.org
9 See e.g. “Status for phthalates” the Ministry of the Environment 2003. More can be read on the PVC
Information English website www.pvc.dk, Legislation 04.08.03 “The Danish Minister of the Environment releases Status Report on Phthalates”. An example of the difference in the views on phthalates of the authorities classifying the most frequently used phthalate, DEHP, as harmful to reproduction, while the secondly most used one, DINP, is not classified. DEHP, DBP and BBP are on the EU list of hormone disrupting substances, which means that these substances both in vitro and in animal experiments have shown effects, which are owing to exposure of the hormone system. It is still uncertain, whether exposure of hormone disrupting substances are of importance for humans.
10 IARC Monographs on the Evaluation of carcinogenic Risks to Humans. Some industrial chemicals, volume
77.15.-22 February 2000. See also the PVC Information Council English website www.pvc.dk, News
29.02.00 “World’s leading Cancer Specialists change Attitude to Phthalates”.