Polyvinyl chloride (PVC)

Polyvinyl chloride commonly abbreviated PVC, is widely-used. PVC is one of the most valuable products to the chemical industry in terms of revenue generated. Over 50% of PVC manufactured is used in construction as it is cheap and easy to assemble. In recent years, PVC has been replacing traditional building materials such a wood, concrete and clay in many areas. Despite appearing to be an ideal building material, concerns have been raised about the costs of PVC to the natural environment and human health.

There are many uses for PVC. As a hard plastic, it is used as vinyl siding, window profiles, magnetic stripe cards, gramophone records (which is the source of the name for vinyl records), pipe, plumbing and conduit fixtures. It can be made softer and more flexible by the addition of plasticizers, the most widely used being phthalates. In this form, it is used in clothing and upholstery, and to make flexible hoses and tubing, flooring, roofing membranes, and electrical cable insulation. The material is often used for pipelines in the water and sewer industries because of its inexpensive nature and flexibility.

PVC also has a corrosive effect on the screw-barrels of machines moulding it and thus machines moulding this resin require frequent screw-barrel overhauling.