O n February 3, 2023, a train run by the freight company Norfolk Southern and carrying more than 100,000 gallons of chemicals derailed in East Palestine, Ohio. Because the contents of the 150 train cars were hazardous, officials made the difficult decision to vent and burn the chemicals in a controlled manner to avoid a much more catastrophic explosion that would have exposed 4,700 people to carcinogens. As it was, a fireball and column of smoke loomed over the town, and it took nearly nine months until Norfolk Southern was able to say that it had cleaned up the contamination. East Palestine residents, who complained of rashes, sore throats, nausea, and headaches shortly after the incident, are still concerned about the long-term impact on their health. The cancer-causing chemical that officials and residents were most worried about is vinyl chloride, a colorless, flammable gas that is primarily used to make polyvinyl chloride, or PVC. Sixty-one percent of all PVC produced in the world is used in building and construction. You might know it simply as “vinyl.” Over the past two decades, sustainability-focused architects, interior designers, researchers, and manufacturers have been locked in a slow-burning battle to phase out PVC in the building industry, primarily because of the vinyl chloride used to make it, but also because of the other toxic chemicals that are
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METROPOLIS
CHEVRON STROKE Skyline Design Since 2022, Skyline Design has made some of its patterns available in a PVC-free polyester film for application to architectural glass, Plexiglas, and steel. Shown here is the Forest colorway in a pattern designed by Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec.
PROXY Mannington Commercial This PVC-free flooring solution is made from a combination of PET and polyurethane, is Declare Red List Free, and is 105 percent carbon offset from cradle to gate. Shown here is the Velum Smoke colorway.
DOURO Momentum This Type III non-PVC wallcovering is an olefin composite with 39 percent postindustrial recycled content. Shown here in the North Dell color, Douro has a deep vertical embossing reminiscent of corduroy.