Health care professionals have relied on vinyl's strength, flexibility and sterility for almost half a century. There are few viable substitutes on the market that perform as well and as cost-effectively. And, in the case of blood bags, there are no viable substitutes. Vinyl remains the material of choice for medical products. Hundreds of studies conducted by independent researchers and reviews by numerous government agencies have provided no indication that DEHP is unsafe for use in vinyl medical products, even among those populations who use the products most frequently.
Substitutes can t match vinyl's proven record.
The truth is that substitutes for vinyl medical products when available may not perform as well as vinyl, or match the level of testing applied to vinyl over the past 40 years. Quite frankly, if the selection of health care materials was based on Health Care Without Harm's criteria, the quality and effectiveness of our health care would be set back by nearly a half century. We can't afford to let Health Care Without Harm unnecessarily harm the public. Vinyl medical products provide a wide array of life-saving benefits that far outweigh the alleged risks associated with their use. With infection and strains of resistant bacteria on the rise, vinyl disposables are essential to protecting public health.