Ed. - PVC is in the news again. Last LEAD Action News we said that leaded PVC miniblinds were unsafe for young children. Just in case you thought lead in PVC can’t affect adults, we’ve retrieved an article from The LEAD Group’s library, and reprinted it on page 5.

We also said that PVC miniblinds should be disposed of safely. As promised, we found out who the main recycler in Australia is - Cryogrind in Geelong , Vic. The 1-2% lead in PVC miniblinds and possibly other PVC products, is however not recycled separately, but joins the recycling stream, and eventually the waste stream for PVC products.

Additionally, we were told that when PVC was trialed in the smelter in Port Kembla, NSW - presumably to recover heavy metals - some ominous looking fumes were produced which put an end to the experiment!

So how do you dispose of PVC safely? The answer is, you can’t! Yet again, as with petrol, lead has led us to the conclusion that PVC, like petrol, whether it contains lead or not, is not ecologically sustainable. At least our enquiries about lead in PVC have led us to a fascinating new Greenpeace publication, called "Chlorine Free Action Pack" which (amongst other things) summarises why all PVC products are unsafe and where to buy non-PVC alternatives.