Health Care Without Harm - PVC

Mercury

PVC & DEHP

Medical Waste

Healthy Building

Food

BFRs

Electronics

Pesticides and Fragrances

Green Purchasing

Chemical Policy

Search:

The Issue

PVC, or vinyl, plastic – the most widely used plastic in medical devices – can be harmful to patients, the environment and public health. There are two key problems associated with PVC:

Dioxin, a known human carcinogen, can be formed during the manufacture of PVC, and during the incineration or burning of PVC products.
DEHP, a phthalate used to soften PVC plastic that can leach from PVC medical devices, is linked to reproductive birth defects and other illnesses, according to animal studies.

Some patients may be at risk of harm from certain DEHP-containing medical devices, according to several government agencies such as the U.S. FDA, the Swedish Chemicals Inspectorate, the Japanese Ministry of Health and a Health Canada expert panel. Fortunately, many PVC-free/DEHP-free alternatives are available for use in health care. For information about how some hospitals, health systems, communities and manufacturers are reducing PVC and DEHP use, see the section on case studies, resolutions and shareholder MOUs.

The resources page offers a comprehensive list of reports, fact sheets, links and other helpful information about PVC, DEHP and phthalates.

To learn more about PVC and building materials, please see the Healthy Building page.

Support the FDA petition! Click here to encourage the FDA to require medical device manufacturers to label all medical device products containing polyvinyl chloride (PVC) that may expose patients to DEHP.

NEWS

10/13/05: National Toxicology Program Expert Panel says phthalates riskier to sick babies than previously thought. See panel findings, press release, and comments submitted to the panel on behalf of HCWH (pdf).

9/12/05: Danish scientists find new evidence that phthalate exposure can damage human sex organs. Read the report published in Environmental Health Perspectives.

6/9/05: New Harvard study: sick infants in intensive care units exposed to high levels of toxic phthalate DEHP. Read the study.