# Qualities of Soft PVC
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History
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European scientists discovered PVC in the late 19th century, when they found that vinyl chloride gas formed a hard white solid when exposed to sunlight. Initial attempts to use the plastic were a failure when it proved to be highly brittle, according to the Plastic Pipe Fittings Association. In the 1920s, a B.F. Goodrich scientist searching for a substitute for natural rubber added plasticizers -- additives that make plastic soft -- to PVC, which produced a more-flexible version that was highly adaptable to many industrial applications. The use of soft PVC exploded from World War II on.
Qualities
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PVC is used to make clothing and footwear. In its original form, PVC is a rigid material that can be machined, welded, glued and manufactured in pipes and sheets. By adding phthalate esters as plasticizers, PVC becomes soft and flexible, allowing manufacturers to use it in products that require softness. PVC resists oils, gases, alcohols and hydrocarbons. It can be microwaved; is resistant to ultraviolet light; and can be sterilized, but not by autoclaving.
Industrial Applications
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Soft PVC as a thermoplastic can be shaped by applying heat, and it has a melting point and a cooling point, at which it becomes hard and glassy, according to the Polymer Science Learning Center. Because of its pliability, it has been used in construction and a range of applications: for example, clothing, medical supplies and home goods. If you are using a plastic plate, cup or glass, turn it over and look at the bottom; if a number three is inside the recycling symbol on the bottom, then you are using a product made with PVC.
Concerns
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Phthalates were banned from PVC toys in the U.S. in 2008. A growing movement in the U.S. is questioning PVC products made with phthalates because of the risk of toxic exposure to humans and the environment from the additive and chemicals like dioxin, a known carcinogen. Ongoing studies are looking at links between exposure to these chemicals and the incidence of asthma and autism in children and babies born with at-risk levels of phthalates in their systems. The U.S. Consumer Safety Commission reached an agreement with U.S. manufacturers of baby bottle nipples, teething rings and pacifiers to remove two phthalates from their PVC products in 1998. In 2008, the U.S. banned phthalates in PVC toys.
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