PVC Cling Wrap: Too Close for Comfort

The Rap on PVC

The worst plastic, from both a health and environmental standpoint, is PVC (polyvinyl chloride, or vinyl, denoted by the #3 recycling code), which commonly packages foods and liquids. To soften PVC into these flexible forms, various toxic chemicals are added as "plasticizers." Traces of these chemicals, known as adipates and phthalates, can leak out of PVC into foods.

Cling Wrap: Too Close for Comfort

Consumers became widely alerted to issues of leaching by a 1998 article in Consumer Reports, which announced that Consumers Union (CU) scientists had found that cheddar cheese packaged in clear PVC cling wrap contained levels of an adipate DEHA (di-2-ethylhexyl adipate) that raised health concerns (see References). Their scientists also found some migration of a phthalate, DEHP (di-2-ethylhexyl phthtalate) into cheese; however, they were unable to attribute this to the wrap alone. (Other possible sources for the DEHP included glues and inks used on the labels, or contamination in the cheese itself.) Because animal studies had shown that DEHA, which did leach from the cling wrap, causes reproductive problems, birth defects and liver tumors in mice, CU called for more investigation by the FDA into plasticizing chemicals and their health impacts. Of growing concern is the role of these chemicals as "hormone disruptors," which interfere with normal functioning of hormonal systems (see Hormone Disruptors)

"Adipates [and phthalates] simply haven't been tested for their hormone effects, since these tests weren't an issue a generation ago," says Ned Groth, Ph.D., a senior scientist at CU. Dr. Groth notes that though the FDA is aware that these compounds are leaching into food, there is no conclusive toxicity data about them. "It takes an overwhelming amount of data to overturn an FDA regulation," he adds, indicating that any change in policy may be many years away. In the meantime, since most cling-wrapped meats, cheeses and other foods sold in delis and grocery stores are wrapped in PVC, most of us can easily be getting exposed to plasticizing chemicals through food wrapping every day. Children are particularly at risk since they're often more vulnerable to chemical exposures, and are exposed to higher amounts of chemicals per pound of body weight than adults are. Phthalate and adipate studies have shown harm to animal young, especially those prenatally exposed (see References).

Until we know more, there are precautions you can take that will reduce your exposure. CR suggests limiting your intake of meat and dairy foods (these chemicals accumulate and concentrate in animal fats). They also recommended that plastic wrap not touch food when heating it - a precaution with which even the plastics industry agrees. If you can't avoid PVC-wrapped products, you can reduce your exposure to DEHA by slicing or scraping off a thin layer from cheeses and meats. Store the rest in a glass, ceramic, or less toxic plastic container (See Solutions).

Trashing the Food Chain

The manufacture and incineration of PVC creates and disperses dioxins, a family of chemicals that includes 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin, the most toxic man-made chemical known. Released into air or water, dioxins enter the food chain, where they accumulate in fatty tissues of animals, including humans. Consumption of meat and dairy products is the primary way dioxins enter the human body. In a June 2000 draft report, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimated that Americans consuming a typical diet run a 1 in 1000 chance of contracting cancer from dioxin exposure, and that the cancer risk of those eating a particularly high-fat diet may be as high as 1 in 100. Dioxin may also affect children's development and damage immune functions. PVDC (polyvinylidene chloride), a close relative of PVC that is also used to manufacture cling wrap, can also create dioxin when manufactured or burned.

Harm to Humans in PVC Manufacturing

Vinyl chloride, the chemical used to make PVC, is also a known human carcinogen, according to the World Health Organization's International Agency for Research on Cancer. Workers in PVC manufacturing facilities and residents of surrounding communities can be affected by exposure to these chemicals. Some studies have found higher rates of testicular cancers and a rare form of liver cancer among workers in PVC plants. These cancer-causing chemicals and lead, the nerve-damaging metal often added to PVC, have contaminated water, soil and air around these facilities, which are often located in poor communities. According to Greenpeace, low-income, African-American communities in particular are disproportionately impacted by PVC manufacturing facilities.

The Final Insult: It's Less Recyclable

Because it contains a variety of additives and lacks a uniform composition, PVC is far less recyclable than other plastics. Its quality degrades after only two or three "cycles." Recycling operations are burdened by having to carefully sort out PVC since it melts into corrosive gases at lower temperatures than other plastics, contaminating batches of PETE, ruining equipment and causing health concerns. Greenpeace has identified PVC as the least recycled of the six or so major common plastics used in consumer, household and construction projects. The EPA estimates that less than .5% of total post-consumer PVC was recovered or reprocessed in 1994. (See also Seven Misconceptions). As waste, PVC can generate dioxin when it is incinerated in household or medical waste.

How to Avoid PVC

See Products list to identify some food packaging or storage items made of PVC. In the store, look for #3, "PVC" or "V" on the bottom of bottles or labels, and don't buy the product!