Buildings’ Hidden Plastic Problem
In this brief, we present highlights from the significant body of science indicating that plastic building materials are contributing to serious health and environmental harms over their life cycle, from fossil fuel extraction to production, use, and disposal. These impacts fall disproportionately on susceptible and marginalized people, including women, children, Indigenous people, low-income communities, and people of color. We share examples of solutions and offer recommendations to strengthen policies that will reduce plastic use in the built environment and associated life cycle harms.
The Perils of PVC Plastic Pipes
All types of water pipes, not only lead, can release chemicals into drinking water. Plastic pipes, which are constructed from potentially dozens of different chemicals, release more contaminants into drinking water than unlined metal pipes, which are built of few materials. Communities need to understand the potential health risks associated with different water pipe materials so that they do not end up with what’s known as a “regrettable substitution,” or a situation in which a selected alternative turns out to be just as bad, if not worse, as the original option.
PVC Poison Plastic
Every day, PVC production exposes communities around the country to vinyl chloride and other PVC chemicals, a result of the inadequate U.S. regulatory system that allows the use of the most hazardous chemicals and plastics. This investigation uncovers the largest polluters of vinyl chloride in the U.S. and maps the communities regularly exposed to this dangerous chemical and its waste products.