Beyond Plastics & UUCM’s Justice Team are hosting a screening of “Blue Vinyl,” a documentary film that follows a woman looking to update her parents’ home only to find that the vinyl chloride typically used in many materials came with alarming environmental, health, and environmental justice impacts. Although the film “Blue Vinyl” was released in 2002, it remains relevant today as vinyl chloride persists in American products, threatening the health of consumers, the communities surrounding PVC production facilities, and those living along railways that transport the dangerous chemical.
Vinyl chloride is a toxic chemical used to make polyvinyl chloride (aka vinyl or PVC) plastic. It’s found in PVC pipes, vinyl siding, windows, flooring, packaging, furniture, car parts, children’s toys, pet toys, shower curtains, credit cards, gift cards, and many other consumer goods. Vinyl chloride is not just suspected of causing cancer — the International Agency for Research on Cancer considers it a Group 1 carcinogen.