Flexible vinyl products made with phthalates can reduce the environmental footprint of a building. From pipes to floor coverings, phthalates are used in building and construction products to make materials and surfaces more durable and easier to maintain. Because flexible vinyl made with phthalates tends to last longer than vinyl alternatives, less energy and other resources are needed to manufacture and install it. In fact, according to industry sources, flexible vinyl takes less energy to produce than many competing products. Flexible vinyl also has unique anti-microbial properties that are critical to fighting germs in hospitals and other healthcare facilities.
Despite their many benefits, phthalates are at risk of being phased out of certain building and construction applications; however, removing phthalates from applications where their use has been deemed safe by government agencies provides no real health or safety benefits. Phthalates are among the most thoroughly studied family of compounds in the world and have a long history of safe use. Phthalates do not migrate out of products easily. Based on U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention studies, average phthalates exposures are far below levels of concern as set by U.S. federal agencies.
The U.S. Green Business Council (USGBC) has spent years studying the health and environmental impacts of flexible vinyl made with phthalates and competing materials used in pipe, siding, windows and flooring. Their findings, released in February 2007, concluded that flexible vinyl products generally have no greater environmental impact than the competition—and in some cases have less impact.
