We are seeing a trend in the safety industry away from our old friend PVC. Polyvinyl chloride is the third most widely used plastic product in the world. And for good reason. It's tough, inexpensive, and very easy to manipulate. The pipes made from PVC have revolutionized plumbing, and it's used in everything from shower curtains to safety gloves.
The down-side to PVC is it's not the most environmentally friendly of products. In fact, it's downright unfriendly. Toxic chemicals associated with PVC disposal in landfills and incinerators have been linked to a wide range of health hazards.
With upwards of 7 billion pounds of PVC products winding up in the garbage each year, businesses such as Apple, Nike, Toyota, Ikea and others are moving toward alternative products.
One of the companies in the safety business who have gone PVC-free is Moldex who makes many of the respirators and ear protection products sold on our site. The Moldex viewpoint is that environmentally sound materials are a win for customers, and can be achieved without price increases. Consumer preference for environmentally aware products is increasing every year.
Being PVC-free has even allowed Moldex to coin a snappy tagline - "Ideas that Wear Well.®" Catchy! Their product line includes respirators like the Multi-Purpose Half Face 7000 Series Mask and popular earplugs like the Moldex Pura-Fit 6800 Foam Earplugs.
Because PVC is such a versatile product, there is not a wide-spread ban through legislation. However, people everywhere are choosing to avoid products like PVC that are known to cause health problems. Moldex provides a great alternative for our customers.
If you've read this far, here's a bit more information about PVC in the home since that's where the public awareness is coming from. PVC is commonly found in window cleaner and detergent bottles, shampoo bottles, cooking oil bottles, clear food packaging, wire jacketing (think computer wires and extension cords), and of course the ubiquitous PVC piping. The reason it is rarely recycled is because the manufacture and reuse of the product releases dioxins which are particularly nasty and dangerous to humans.
At the end of the day, it makes sense to choose gear that keeps you safe both today and tomorrow. After all, Moldex and PK Safety are in the safety business.