Before you touch that product...
As consumer action groups such as Greenpeace begin to target chemicals found in consumer products, a controversy has been brewing over polyvinyl chloride (PVC). One of the most inexpensive and versatile plastics, PVC has become one of the most common types of plastics used in a variety of products, including apparel and handbags, pipes, toys and decorative blinds.
Phthalates
Some countries, including the U.S., have banned some of the most commonly found phthalates in children's toys and child care articles. Phthalates are plasticizers used to make plastics such as PVC soft and flexible. These substances were banned following reports that some of the most common phthalates cause endocrine (or hormone) disruption in humans.
Heavy Metals
Often, PVC contains lead as a result of the manufacturing process. Other heavy metals that may be present in PVC products include chromium VI, mercury and cadmium. These metals are added to the PVC to increase durability and prevent its breakdown in heat or sunlight.
Landfill Bound
Most PVC products are difficult to recycle, including blinds. Additionally, over time, as these products break down, PVC products are known to produce dioxins and furans, toxic substances that persist in the environment.
Phasing Out
Many brands and retailers--such as Apple, Nike, Ikea and the Body Shop--are phasing out or have already phased out PVC in their products, according to Greenpeace.
Are PVC Blinds Dangerous in Your Home?
While PVC is known, in some circumstances, to leach heavy metals in small amounts into water, the chances of decorative blinds made of PVC posing an immediate threat due to its toxic properties are fairly insignificant. In the context of home use, PVC blinds may be more dangerous for potential child strangulation hazards from strings than for toxic substances in the vinyl material.
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