Nationwide Screenings of Emmy-Award- Winning Documentary Expose Impacts of Vinyl Chloride in Everyday Plastic Products
‘Blue Vinyl’ Screenings Accompanied by Panel Discussion and Q&A, Plus Guidance on What Individuals Can Do to Effect Change
For Immediate Release: April 11, 2024
Contacts:
Melissa Valliant, Beyond Plastics — melissavalliant@bennington.edu, (410) 829-0726
Christina Dubin, Beyond Plastics — christinadubin@bennington.edu, (978) 223-5035
Beyond Plastics and partner organizations are taking an eye-opening documentary, “Blue Vinyl,” across the country with over 35 film screenings in 21 states, with additional screenings on Zoom, in Mexico, and in Tanzania. To find a screening near you, visit this interactive map.
The Emmy-award-winning film by Judith Helfand follows a woman looking to renovate her parents’ home only to find that the vinyl chloride typically used in many materials came with alarming environmental, health, and environmental justice impacts. Vinyl chloride is a toxic chemical used to make polyvinyl chloride (aka vinyl or PVC) plastic. It’s found in PVC drinking water pipes, vinyl siding, windows, flooring, packaging, furniture, car parts, children's toys, pet toys, shower curtains, credit cards, gift cards, and many other consumer goods. Vinyl chloride is not just suspected of causing cancer — the International Agency for Research on Cancer considers it a Group 1 carcinogen.
“This documentary exposes the risks of plastic products that most of us touch every day — and it’s guaranteed to evoke shock before sparking the kind of discussions that should drive policy change,” said Judith Enck, Beyond Plastics president and former EPA regional administrator. “It’s a tough reality to accept, that vinyl chloride was designated a human carcinogen half a century ago and is still being used in toys our children chew on, the pipes that deliver our drinking water, and more. These screenings give people the opportunity to discuss the problem with experts and take action to convince the Biden administration to ban vinyl chloride.”
“Blue Vinyl” was released in 2002 and remains relevant today as vinyl chloride persists in American products, threatening the health of consumers, the communities surrounding PVC plastic production facilities, and those living along railways that transport the dangerous chemical — a risk that East Palestine, Ohio, knows all too well following last year’s devastating train derailment and subsequent burning of vinyl chloride there.
The film is particularly timely this year as the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency recently announced that it was considering banning vinyl chloride — though there’s still much to do to ensure the agency follows through.
Organizations participating in the film screenings include Moms Clean Air Force, Breathe Project, Beaver County Marcellus Awareness Community (BCMAC), and Three Rivers Waterkeeper, among others.
To find out if there’s a screening near you, visit our interactive map.
To find out how you can organize a screening in your own neighborhood, check out Beyond Plastics’ guide to hosting a screening.
To learn more about vinyl chloride, visit BanVinylChloride.com
About Beyond Plastics
Launched in 2019, Beyond Plastics is a nationwide project that pairs the wisdom and experience of environmental policy experts with the energy and creativity of grassroots advocates to build a vibrant and effective movement to end plastic pollution and promote alternatives to plastics. Using deep policy and advocacy expertise, Beyond Plastics is building a well-informed, effective movement seeking to achieve the institutional, economic, and societal changes needed to save our planet and ourselves, from the negative health, climate, and environmental impacts for the production, usage, and disposal of plastics.
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