PVC is also dangerous while it is being used, because chemical ‘plasticisers’, added
to make some plastics soft and flexible, break down and are released during normal
use. One examples is that ‘new car smell’, which is actually the smell of toxic off-
gassing. The most common of these plasticisers, diethyl hexyl phthalate (DEHP), is
a suspected carcinogen and is readily found in common household products. These
additives also make PVC recycling virtually impossible.
Approximately 75% of all PVC manufactured today is used in building materials,
including water pipes that carry and store drinking water, window frames and siding,
flooring, wallpaper, window blinds and shower curtains. Studies have found people
exposed to PVC in building interiors (such as vinyl flooring) had significantly elevated
risks of asthma, wheezing and pneumonia.
Health Impacts
Chronic exposure to VOCs has been linked to a broad spectrum of health problems.
The immediate impacts from a single or repeated exposure can be:
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eye, nose, throat and skin irritation
nausea
breathing difficulties
fatigue
headaches
dizziness
damage to liver, kidney and central nervous system.
Then there are the long term impacts which come about after repeated exposure for
years:
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respiratory disease
heart disease
cancer
We All Share A Global Home - “Earth”
All of our actions impact on one another in sharing the united home we call ‘Earth’,
and we are becoming all too aware of that, given the economic, social and
environmental climate we are facing today.
Ecological Footprint
Australia has one of the largest ecological footprints per person, with each of us
requiring approximately 6.25 hectares. To put this in perspective, if the entire world’s
population lived at the same standard as Australians, we’d need 3.6 Earths to support
ourselves. And whilst that figure may include industry, our households generage at
least one-fifth of Australia’s greenhouse gases - more than 18 tonnes per household
per year.
Our secondary footprint is created through the indirect choices we make impacting on
carbon emissions produced by the whole lifecycle of the products we choose.
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