Vinyl PVC, which contains toxic pthalates and other chemicals, is contained in so many products that it can be difficult to identify which products are safe and which aren't. Here are some basic shopping tips to help identify products that contain PVC.
Vinyl PVC is most easily identified on a product by looking for the recycle symbol. The number 3 recycle symbol or the word “vinyl” in the product description means your product has been made with PVC. However, not all products made with PVC are marked. You can also identify vinyl by taking a whiff and seeing if it has a smell similar to that of a new car or shower curtain – but considering its toxicity, you may not want to do that. Being conscious about the dangers of vinyl PVC can be frustrating if you can't identify which products to avoid. Here are some basic tip to help you avoid Vinyl PVC when you go shopping.
Where to Look
Back to School Shopping
Go old school when it comes to packing lunches. Many lunch boxes are made with vinyl PVC. It may be that a paper bag is a little too rustic, so opt for a metal or cloth lunch bag instead.
A lot of office and school supplies such as binders, tape, and paper clips are made with vinyl PCB, as well. Instead, opt for buying binders made from recycled materials, or typical metal paper clips rather than bright colorful ones. More than 56 % of back-to-school supplies tested by HealthStuff.org were found to have PVC in them. Products screened included binders, pencil cases, and backpacks.
Flame Retardents
Be wary of products that claim to be flame retardent. PVC is considered a flame retardent. However, it's also toxic when it does burn. Over half of the children's car seats tested by HealthyStuff.org were found to contain PVC.
Other Products
Quite a bit of packaging is made from PVC. In general, you can identify these by the recycle symbol on the bottom. Often, it is packaging on products like shampoo, conditioner and sometimes even food packaging that you wil find to be vinyl. Vinyl is common in car upholstery, as well.
Building materials such as door frames, pipes, gutters, flooring, siding, and tiles are often made with vinyl because of the low cost. Many kitchen items such as food wrap, plastic utensils, tablecloths, and appliance casings are also vinyl.
There are so many products made from vinyl that it can be overwhelming. Begin by looking for the recycling code, use the HealthyStuff.org database as mentioned next, and if all else fails... call the company of the products you are most concerned about and ask them directly.
How to Use Your Phone to Identify Toxins
Vinyl PVC is among one of the materials that HealthyStuff.org test products for on a regular basis. They test for PVC material to identify whether a product has toxic pthalates present in it or not. They test everything from vehicles, toys, children's products to apparel and accessories.
They currently have a searchable database that consumers can use to identify what products to buy and which to avoid when it comes to PVC and many other harmful toxins. They rate products on whether they are a low, medium, or a high concern; green, yellow, and red respectively. The database can be accessed while you shop to help you identify what to buy or not. HealthStuff.org is still in the process of testing products everyday, so this is not guarantee that a product you search for will be available in the database.
Steps:
1. Open the “Create New Message” function of your text message service on your cell phone.
2. Type in a keyword such as kids, toys, pet, clothes or cars.
3. Follow your keyword with a product name, model or manufacturer. Examples include red wallet, ford focus, or fisher-price.
4. Send your text message to 30644, and wait for a reply. You will get a disclaimer message first that lets you know that the ratings do not provide the measure of risk of an exposure associated with the product, but rather identifies the level of toxic chemicals in the product.
5. You will receive a second message that will either ask you to refine your search, or will give a rating of low, medium or high risk.
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