PVC..have you heard of it?
It stands for polyvinyl chloride and it is likely in your home in places you wouldn’t expect!
🌻 I did and still do my best to avoid plastics WHEN I can (there is no avoiding everything no matter how hard you try) but especially when ttc, pregnant, or nursing. Now ..having little ones around it is even more difficult since most fun toys are made of plastic..amongst other things.
💚 I do however make an extra effort to avoid certain ones such as PVC (polyvinyl chloride) also known as vinyl or the #3 plastic. The Center for Health, Environment and Justice (CHEJ) calls PVC “the most toxic plastic for children’s health and the environment.”
⬛ Pure PVC plastic is 57% chlorine and requires toxic additives in order to be made stable for consumer products. Including the following..
💣Toxic flame retardants
*They are added to PVC products such as vinyl flooring and are released as off-gassing occurs from the vinyl.
💣Heavy metals such as lead
*Merely handling a binder made with PVC stabilized by lead can result in lead exposure. The lead in the PVC migrates to the surface where it is readily picked up by your hand and then transferred to the mouth.
💣Endocrine-disrupting phthalates
*These migrate easily or off-gas which makes them easiy to inhale or ingest.
⬛A basic building block of PVC (polyvinyl chloride) is chlorine, and chlorine production releases dioxins into the environment.
🔍 According to CHEJ, dioxins are “a family of highly toxic chemicals that are known to cause cancer, reproductive, developmental and immune problems.”
🔍 Dioxin has been classified as a known human carcinogen by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (part of WHO) and the U.S. National Toxicology Program.
🔍 Some scientists assert that there is no safe level of dioxin exposure for humans.
🔍Dioxins are persistent and bioaccumulative. Most human exposure is through food, mainly meat, dairy products, fish and shellfish (dioxins concentrate in the fatty tissue of animals).
🔍 In addition to dioxin, chlorine production also results in mercury emissions and asbestos waste.
🔍 Communities surrounding PVC plants are particularly susceptible to the toxic chemical pollution from PVC production.
Sadly, PVC is merely impossible to avoid because it’s is one of the most widely used plastics and it turns up everywhere. The good news is that more and more people are becoming aware and safer products are becoming available.
To learn more about PVC go to here.
🌻I recommend looking for toys that are Bpa, phthalate and pvc free!
💚Avoid vinyl when you can!
🌻Ditch your toxic shower curtain!
Post on that will be uploaded soon but can be found in my fb community!
💚I will also have more posts in the future discussing ways to avoid it and alternatives we can choose.
//becomingmomjourney
Journey on,
