·      @@@Whatfs the PVC (Polyvinyl chloride)?

 

Polyvinyl chloride is the synthetic fiber invented most early in the world and it was invented in Germany in 1931. @The polyvinyl chloride is made with the polymerization of the PVC, and then a fiber is produced by it. It has the feature that is strong, weather resistance, thermal and melted by neither acid nor alkali. Also, since polyvinyl chloride has the feature always charged in the static electricity of minus by rubbing against other fibers, when it has the underwear of this fiber on, there is an effect in rheumatism etc.

 

œUsage

[Clothing material] knit undershirt, socks, shoes

[Interior/bedclothes] drape curtain, bath mat, carpet, blanket

[Industrials] @fishing net, rope, covering material, building material, felt, water pipe, electronic parts

[Others] brace, wiggery, blood bag

 

@œFeature

-        Strong resistance against chemicals and sunlight

-        Good insulation performance against heat and electricity

-        Easy to charge the Minus static electricity

-        Strong waterproof

-        Heat-retaining

-        Flame resistance

-       Low heat resistance

 

œSafety

Is a PVC food container safe?

@As PVC has the feature of the less gas permeability and the food storage stability, it is used as a food wrapping material or a bottle container material. In Japan, the safety inspection based on the food hygiene law is necessary for the PVC products relating to food. Moreover, the "JHP" mark is displayed on the product which passed the sanitary check, and safety is clarified.

 

 

Is a PVC medical product safe?

The blood circuit (circuit which connects a human body and a dialyzer) of an artificial kidney, the set for transfusion (a tube and bag), a catheter, etc. are main. This shows the height of the reliance for PVC which the medical world brings near. The PVC equipment for medical treatments spread, because the point of which there is little influence of medicine, it is clean, and tends to dispose from glass, rubber, etc. was esteemed. The safety of a PVC equipment is fully checked on various kinds of laws and independence standards, and incineration disposal is strictly carried out along with the"infection nature waste processing manual" fixed also in respect of processing after use in 1991.

 

 

Is a PVC stationary product or toy product safe?

@As stationery, a books cover, an eraser, a pen, an underlay, etc. have cards, a beach ball, a simple pool, a doll, etc. as a cancer implement. Although the guarantee of safety is important for the product referring to children's hand, the PVC product is chemically stable and it is not necessary to also say cleanliness. Moreover, there is an independence safe standard which the Japan Toy Association enacted in the safe standard by JIS, and a cancer implement at some stationery, the industry is raised and the severe safe check is performed.

 

 

Is a PVC building material safe?

To PVC for building materials, interior material, such as wallpaper, a flooring material, and ceiling material, is begun, and there are various products, such as a PVC sash, a waterproofing sheet, etc. excellent in the sound isolation / prevention-of-moisture effect. Among these, a PVC flooring material is occupied and wallpaper occupies 90% of market share 30% of a whole city place. About siding material, it is the big market which already ranks second to a pipe in the United States, and future demand is expected also in Japan. The increase in the demand of such PVC building materials is a reason not only with the merit of economical efficiency, construction nature, durability, and design nature but big it being hard to burn and being safe.

 

 

 

 

 

 

·      How much amount are PVC products in Japan?

(measure:ton)

Date

Total of production

Total of shipment

@Quantity

M/m

Yr/yr

Quantity

M/m

Yr/yr

2001 Jan

193,179

96.0

86.7

187,052

95.4

96.2

Feb

196,653

101.8

92.1

191,097

102.2

95.1

Mar

198,004

100.7

94.9

200,999

105.2

90.5

Apr

179,779

90.8

94.4

162,812

81.0

88.0

May

173,807

96.7

89.8

173,543

106.6

92.6

Jun

162,517

93.5

96.6

178,163

102.7

85.4

Jul

175,244

107.8

86.7

180,121

101.1

86.2

Aug

172,679

98.5

91.7

171,483

95.2

91.7

Sep

186,697

108.1

91.3

198,154

115.6

90.7

Oct

195,909

104.9

96.7

193,336

97.6

91.6

Nov

174,198

88.9

86.2

177,463

91.8

86.7

Dec

186,554

107.1

92.7

182,107

102.6

92.9

Total year 2001

2,195,220

2,196,330

Total year 2000

2,397,963

2,424,880

yr/yr

91.5

90.6

 

·      What kinds of problems have PVC caused in Japan?

<Dioxin>

  1. Whatever may be burned, dioxin will is generated.

 

@Since chlorine exists in everywhere, dioxin may be generated when all things, such as garbage, paper, wood, and various plastics, carry out incomplete combustion. However, if suitable incineration is performed, generating of dioxin can be suppressed sharply. The government also expresses the common view "the influence of the garbage containing chlorine is considered that are relatively few and the direction of a combustion state, the situation of exhaust gas processing, etc. has big influence on dioxin concentration, and can stop discharge concentration by a suitable measure and suitable management when a suitable measure and suitable management are being performed."

 

  1. Dioxin emission is decreasing drastically.

 

@According to the report of the Ministry of Environment in Japan, the amount of the dioxin emission by an incinerator, which formed about 90% of the total amount of emissions in 1997, decreased even to one fourth in 2000. This is the result of accelerating improvement in an incinerator by the national and local governments because of their recognition that inferior or inappropriate incineration was causing dioxin problem. Moreover, in December 2002 a severer emission standard will be applied, including a small incinerator, and the further emission reduction of dioxin will be expected.

 

3.          Dioxin emission out of industries is also decreasing certainly.

 

@It is presumed that about 10% of the amount of dioxin generating in Japan is discharged from industrial activity. The amount of the dioxin emission out of industries is decreasing certainly in the approximately half in 1997. Also Dioxin generated by the PVC materials (PVC monomer) manufactures is reported, but the amount is less than 0.15% among all industries.

 

 

<Endocrine disruptor>

1.     Endocrine disrupters are not found in the latest animal testing.

 

@In Japan, as a result of the endocrine disrupters testing of phthalate ester by the rat in 1997, it wasnft recognized that major phthalate esters effected as female hormone.

 

2.     It is not true that Endocrine disrupter affects human health badly.

 

@So far at least in Japan, it isnft reported that there is the causal relationship between endocrine disrupter and human health. Not only in Japan but also in the world there isnft any cases that Endocrine disrupter affects human health badly.

 

3.     Carcinogenic was denied.

 

The international cancer research organization (IARC) which is an internal organization of WHO (World Health Organization) changed the typical carcinogenic evaluation about phthalate ester (DEHP) into "the group 3" (it cannot classify as a carcinogen to people) from the conventional "group 2B" (there may be carcinogenic to people), and expressed the view with safety clearly in February, 2000. This "group 3" is the same as "tea", "tap water", etc. which we are taking in by everyday life.

 

<Others>

@The PVC products are including various chemistry additive agents, such as stabilizer besides heavy metals, such as a lead, and cadmium, a tin compound, a plasticizer, and an oxidization prevention agent. Since these additive agents have not combined with PVC firmly, they may volatilize or be emitted out of the PVC products by conditions, such as light and humidity. For example, if a child puts a toy made from PVC into a mouth and bites or inhales it and gives it pressure, those chemistry substances will melt out of it. In order to take out the pliability, many phthalate esters as a plasticizer are used for the babyfs soft toy, but it is reported that the phthalate ester has the toxicity to liver or the kidney or that the bad influence (spermary toxicity) to a reproduction system appears.

 

·      How are PVC products recycled in Japan?

 

In Japan, approximately 2 million-ton PVC per year is used, and about 80% of the PVC material is used for the durable products and about 20% is used for packing container and the miscellaneous goods. The annual amount of discharge is about 1 million ton, and about 30% of it is recycled. Especially regarding the material recycling, over 10,000ton of used PVC plastics is monthly being recycled; the vinyl material for agriculture (about 45%), the electric wire covering material (about 35%), a pipe, etc.

 

The amount of the abandonment plastic for agriculture

(the 1993 fiscal year) Unit: t/year - (%)

@

Amount

Handling

 

Recycle

Landfill

Incineration

Others

 

PVC films

105,915
(100.0)

47,703
(45.0)

22,995
(21.7)

23<989
(22.7)

11,228
(10.6)

 

PE films

78,247
(100.0)

2,132
(2.7)

15,986
(20.4)

55,017
(70.3)

5,112
(6.6)

 

Other

9,007
(100.0)

131
(1.5)

1,451
(16.1)

4,123
(45.7)

3,302
(3607)

 

Total

193,169
(100.0)

49,966
(25.9)

40,432
(20.9)

83,129
(43.0)

19,642
(10.2)

 

 

˜       Material Recycle
- The recycling way of utilizing a used PVC product as a material of the PVC product again

(1)  A used vinyl for agriculture
@The rate of recycling a used vinyl for agriculture exceeds 50%, and more than 50,000ton is recycled as materials of a flooring material or a sheet. Owing to the more efficient system of collecting a used plastic, more use development in material recycling or more technical development in chemical recycling, it is possible to raise the rate of recycling.

(2)  A used electric wire covering material
@Regarding electric wire covering material, about 44,000ton of about 120,000ton discharged in one year are recycled, and the ratio is about 35%. These are also reused as electric wire covering material as well recycled as materials of a flooring material or sandals. Moreover, the PVC industry supports also to development of the recycling technology of the PVC system electric wire covering material by Japan Electric Cable Technology Center, and is tackling construction of a many-sided recycling system.

(3)  A used pipe
@As for the pipe which is the largest usage of PVC, the material recycling of the 44% is carried out now, and the many are recycled again to the pipe. By promotion of chemical recycling, the achievement target of 80% of rate of recycling was held up in 2005, and 100% of recycling is aimed at in the future.

˜       Chemical recycling (Feedstock recycling)
- The recycling way of utilizing a used PVC product as a chemistry article, product materials, etc. by the chemical method. It is not necessary to classify used plastic various kinds.

(1)  Blast furnace materials

(2)  Cement field fuel

(3)  Gasification

(4)  Oil zing
@@@@

˜       Thermal@ recycling

-  The recycling way which collects the heat and electricity which generate a used PVC product by burning, and is used as an energy source. It is not necessary to classify used plastic various kinds.

 

·      Is PVC burned in Japan?

 

The measure against exhaust gas in an incinerator

When the garbage is burned up in the incinerator, some chemical substances are emitted, such as a chlorination hydrogen, a nitrogenous oxide, sulfur oxide, soot dust, and so on are contained. However, since the amount of those discharge is regulated strongly by government upon the air pollution control law in Japan, there arenft any problems of the air pollution by the incineration now.

There are two ways of removing chlorination hydrogen gas, "Wet-type" and "Dry-type", and by using one of those ways, chlorination hydrogen gas is gotten rid of the smoke in the incinerator.

 

PVC and Hydrogen chloride

 

Chlorination hydrogen is generating after burning the city trash. It has considered that chlorine plastic such as PVC is a main cause of generating the dioxin so far. But, it became clear that it occurred at the considerable rate from the salt (included in the city trash) as well by the chlorination hydrogen occurrence experiment along with the garbage burning which a vinyl chloride environment countermeasure conference carried out for 1996 years. Salt, garbage, paper were mixed by using the fireplace which was about the same type as the actual incinerator at the rate which was close to the formation of the actual city trash, and an experiment was burned. A result is changed at more than 80% of the high rates at the time of burning in chlorination hydrogen from various other source of chlorine except for PVC source. Moreover, more than 95% exists in Exhaust. As for chlorination hydrogen, it was found out that it was the whole problem of city trash to burn up and which it is disposing of from this experiment.

 

 

PVC and Dioxin

@It doesn't come to control the occurrence of dioxin as for dioxin occurrence from the burning facilities as well even if it gets rid of only PVC from the city trash though it has had a PVC product it thinks about like a main cause. @Dioxin occurs in the same way as chlorination hydrogen from various sources of chlorine of the city trash which makes salt the beginning, too. Though PVC is one of sources of chlorine, too, the various content of PVC in the city trash is made to change, and it confirms that there is no correlation between the amount of PVC mixing and the amount of occurrence of dioxin kind as a result of doing a burning examination in the utility fireplace. @The occurrence of dioxin depended on the structure of the burning facilities, burning temperature, an operating condition, and so on from these experiments and so on greatly, and it was being found out that proper control of burning was connected with the repression of the occurrence. @The severe burning control guidance to control the occurrence of dioxin is done in Japan.

 

 

·      Which organizations are taking actions against PVC issues and how do they fundraise?

 

http://www.vec.gr.jp/

http://www.pvc.or.jp/

http://www.jca.apc.org/noenbi/