PVC PLASTIC (Vinyl) COULD MAKE HAMILTON FIRE A TOXIC DISASTER

[ttweed@wildrockies.org (Tony Tweedale)]

  PVC PLASTIC (Vinyl) COULD MAKE HAMILTON FIRE A TOXIC DISASTER
  
  Hamilton, July 10, 1997 -- A Greenpeace team rushed today to the
  site  of a massive fire at a Hamilton plastics plant where huge
  quantities  of PVC plastic (vinyl) are thought to be burning.
  Burning PVC is  known to be a significant source of dioxin, one of
  the most toxic  chemicals known.  Dioxin's effects include cancer,
  suspected  interference with child development and reproductive
  problems.
  
  "Fires involving PVC plastic should be treated as serious chemical
  accidents," said Dr. Matthew Bramley, a Greenpeace chemist.  "In
  fires, the link between PVC and dioxin is undeniable, and is
  sufficient reason alone to phase out this dangerous plastic."
  The Greenpeace team called on the federal and provincial
  governments  to sample smoke, water run-off and ash from the
  Hamilton fire for  dioxins, furans, and PCBs. The fire is occurring
  at Plastimet Inc., a  company which processes huge quantities of
  PVC.
  
  Fires in the past involving PVC have given the plastic a bad
  reputation.  The ash from a fire at a PVC warehouse at Ste-Therese,
  Quebec, in June 1993, contained 18 parts per billion (ppb)
  "toxic equivalent" of dioxin - while toxic effects in humans occur
  at  concentrations one thousand times lower.  When Germany's
  Dusseldorf  airport went up in smoke in April 1996, the official
  enquiry found  that "PVC cable casing was involved... to a
  substantial extent" in  dioxin formation.  PVC has been phased out
  as a cable insulating  material by the US Navy because of its
  behaviour in fires.
  
  Greenpeace is disappointed by Environment's Canada initial response
  to a call for a full toxicological analysis of the Hamilton fire.
   "The buck is being passed by federal officials to the provincial
  government, who in turn are leaving things to the local
  authorities,"  complained Greenpeace campaigner Morag Simpson.
  "This is what happens  when severe cutbacks undermine the
  scientific monitoring capabilities  of federal and provincial
  environment ministries."
  
  Greenpeace has been campaigning worldwide for a phase out of PVC
  for  some years.  PVC is the second most common type of plastic,
  used in  thousands of consumer, building and packaging products.
  The campaign  stresses the dioxin emissions from the production,
  burning and  incineration of PVC, and health risks during use of
  the plastic - as  in last year's miniblinds scandal where it was
  discovered that  millions of PVC window blinds release toxic lead
  dust.
  
  
  ends