PVC is a versatile and nontoxic material that has a distinct advantage in many product applications and in the marketplace. The presence of chlorine in PVC makes this material inherently flame retardant, which is why PVC is used in many construction and furnishing applications. PVC is the world's leading electrical-insulating material, with more than 500 million pounds used annually for wire, cable and other electrical applications. In fact, PVC is used in a vast array of everyday products. On a typical day the average person will use more than a dozen PVC products, including luggage, shoes, raincoats and umbrellas, fabric and paper coatings, computers and keyboards, magnetic recording tape, recreational equipment, inflatable boats and water floats, baby strollers, furnishings, food packaging, garden hoses and lawn furniture, floor and wall coverings, and more.
Chlorine is also an essential component in the production of many life-saving pharmaceuticals.
Other pharmaceuticals that contain chlorine include drugs used to treat depression, arthritis, fungal diseases, glaucoma, psoriasis, yeast infections, allergies, osteoporosis, ulcers, malaria, coronary disease and cancer. One way Greenpeace has gained attention to its campaign against chlorine is by linking it to dioxin, a widely feared chlorine-containing chemical. Upon closer inspection, however, both the link and the basis for the fear appear suspect. They are also produced when chlorine is used to bleach paper pulp, a fact often cited by Greenpeace as one reason to ban or restrict the use of chlorine. Even this small amount is being steadily reduced as paper manufacturers switch from chlorine to chlorine dioxide, a less reactive form of chlorine that produces fewer toxic emissions.