Vinyl and PVC windows

In these last years, many firms have been selling PVC (polyvinyl chloride) windows and shutters, tempting their customers with low prices and the promise of no maintenance. PVC is highly used in industry because, as well as offering good electical and mechanical characteristics, it is produced with chlorine. Chlorine is a toxic element produced in large amounts as production waste in other processes. In the past this substance was used to make DDT, pesticide, solvents and insulating materials. As these products were banned because of their danger, a greater amount of chlorine had to find an usage.

Pure PVC is an unstable, hard and fragile material. In order to be used industrially, it needs to be mixed with dangerous additives. Slow and continuous leakage of solvents and volatile substances can cause depressive syndroms. If heated or burned in fires or incinerators, PVC produces hydrochloric acid, furans, and dioxins.

On the other hand, wood is a natural, renewable and recyclable material, and is not a health hazard. Simple finishes can make it weatherproof for years: when needed, a quick repaint will turn wood back to its original look. Actually, it is not unusual to see a hundred year-old building still with original shutters.

In windows and doors, PVC has a lot of drawbacks. Good PVC is not cheaper than wood. Plastic exposed to the sun becomes fragile and matt, welds crack and let draughts in; maintenance is almost impossible. ClimateHouse agency does not issue the "ClimateHouse Plus" certification to buildings that use PVC windows.

For these reasons, usage of this plastic is more and more reduced; in many European countries PVC has already been banned in public buildings like offices, schools and hospitals. There is a possibility that PVC might be acknowledged as hazardous and therefore banned from construction as happened for lead-based paints and asbestos. As for its supposed sustainability, being PVC a chemical oil-based material, it is by definition a non-renewable and non-sustainable resource.

Sources:

Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polyvinyl_chloride

ClimateHouse: http://www.agenziacasaclima.it/files/content/140094_16446_2_0/klimahaus-plus-datenblatt-it-0306.pdf

Italian Parliament: http://www.camera.it/_dati/leg13/lavori/stampati/sk0500/relazion/0336.htm