What happens when PVC is burned?
• “Dioxin” is a term for a family of persistent chemicals that are created through various natural and synthetic processes including incineration, forest fires, metal smelting, and certain industrial operations involving chlorine and other organic compounds. • Because chlorine can be found almost everywhere on earth (e.g., in salt), dioxin will be formed when most things burn, including wood, food, garbage and vinyl. • Environmental impact of Chlorine – The vinyl industry, using EPA protocols, measured its emissions from all U.S. manufacturing operations on the same basis and found that the industry contributed about 13 grams – less than 1 percent of the total amount generated. (This is the total vinyl industry, which vinyl windows are a very small portion.) • It is impossible to prevent the formation of small amounts of dioxin in an accidental building fire by avoiding the use of certain building materials. • All materials – synthetic and natural (wood) – when they burn emit hundreds
