Craft vinyl has taken the world by storm. If you haven’t already been hooked to crafting with it, you have at least a couple of favorite things decorated using vinyl.
Remember those beautiful wine glasses with personalized messages you got as a gift? How about the dozen cute little onesies with hilarious quotes and memes, that’s all probably vinyl.
It is not surprising that craft vinyl is all the rage right now. It is gorgeous, inexpensive, durable, water-resistant, versatile, and accessible material.
But with the growing concern on the impact of toxins on human health and the environment, we must question the materials in our everyday life, vinyl being one of them. As nostalgic as we feel about crafting, safety questions come first.
Is craft vinyl toxic? Craft vinyl is toxic. It is basically PVC which is a hazardous plastic substance. Craft vinyl emits harmful substances, some of which have been linked to negative impacts on human health. However some brands of non-toxic, environmentally-friendlier craft vinyl are now produced.
To learn more about this, continue reading this article. It provides useful insights into the toxicity of craft vinyl and the safe options available.
What is Vinyl?
Without getting deep into nerdy chemistry, vinyl is PVC, the more familiar name for polyvinyl chloride. It Is a synthetic plastic polymer that has made headlines for all the wrong reasons.
If you are just starting to worry about the toxicity of craft vinyl now, you should know that industrial-grade vinyl entered your homes long before craft vinyl did.
Before crafters fell madly in love with cutting vinyl sheets in their fancy Cricut, Cameo, and Silhouette machines, vinyl was already here. It is literally everywhere: in water pipes, electric cables, flooring, food containers, upholstery, clothing, etc.
But as a crafter, the vinyl you are more familiar with is craft vinyl sheets you use at home with a die cut machine. These have designs or wording made on them, then cut and weeded out to make decals, signs, labels, etc.
Another familiar craft vinyl is heat transfer vinyl that decorates clothing and anything made of fabric such as bags, shoes, and cushion covers. This type of vinyl utilizes heat to transfer a design onto fabric by pressing with an iron-like machine.
Toxicity and Vinyl
But have you ever wondered how toxic this vinyl is? It is common knowledge that craft vinyl is not edible – at least to older kids and adults. But you put it on wine glasses, mason jars, and coffee mugs that go in your dishwashers. You put it on apparel that touches your skin and use it to label things your kids touch everyday.
Should you be worried?
Well, PVC is closely associated with negatively impacts on human health as well as environmental degradation and. There’s substantial research to back up these claims.
Craft vinyl appears harmless, and some schools of thought actually claim that it is harmless unless heated. This has given rise to a debate on whether it is toxic or not.
So let’s look at the big question:
Is Vinyl Toxic?
While vinyl is widely used both at home, in schools, construction, automotive, and manufacturing sectors, the material itself is toxic. It is bad not only for human health but the ecosystem as well.
Needless to say, plastics are a global nightmare, especially in the fight for an entirely green planet, as most of them are non-biodegradable. When it comes to grading toxicity of plastic, vinyl ranks as one of the most noxious plastics.
In fact, vinyl has been the subject of anti-pollution campaigns carried out by environmental and health organizations for the last three decades.
Harmful Emmissions
From the manufacturing stages to its disposal, vinyl releases especially harmful chemicals into the surrounding environment.
These toxic substances include phthalates and lead which have been linked to a range of health issues like cancers and other chronic illnesses. The World Health Organization (WHO) has classified these substances forming vinyl as human carcinogens after successful laboratory experiments that proved their toxicity.
In addition, this craft material emits harmful elements such as ethylene chloride, dioxins, furans, vinyl chloride, and PCB, which contaminates the environment. The climate has recently changed for the worse due to such materials as vinyl.
Production Concerns
The rate at which laser cutting machines are being used in vinyl crafting causes more jitters. There are two considerable risks when using laser cutting machines with vinyl.
First, there is a risk of damaging the machine before its useful life elapse. Vinyl destroys the optics of the laser plotter corroding the metal, which further destroys the motion control system.
Secondly, the machine user risks exposure to chlorine gas discharged during the cutting process. This gas is poisonous and an irritant that can cause severe damage to both the upper and lower respiratory organs. For perspective, this was a gas used in World War I.
Simply put, PVC production is toxic.
After Production
Those supportive of the vinyl use claim that the vinyl is toxic only during the production and disposal stage.
Is it true? If not careful in handling vinyl, you can cause harm to yourself (and ruin your project). One has to consider all the precautionary measures to avoid issues that may stem from the heating process.
Vinyl is a highly combustible material. It is especially dangerous in the case of accidental fires or even during the incineration of vinyl wastes. Crafting involves different activities, and heating is one of them. Using craft vinyl guarantees quality outcomes, but there is a risk in the equal fold when it comes to heating the material.
When an item made with craft vinyl is put in the dishwasher or hot tub, the hot water cycle causes micro particles to leach into the drainage. This is toxic too.
All in all, craft vinyl as it is is not toxic after production. It is physically safe to use as long as certain conditions remain constant. However, it becomes harmful when these conditions change.
What About Heat Transfer Vinyl?
Many manufacturers have implied that heat transfer vinyl (HTV) is the fastest and better way of customizing your project and can aid in a variety of crafting.
However, HTV materials are never 100% safe. They emit the same toxins into the atmosphere when applied to fabric as from its production to disposal stages.
Non-Toxic Craft Vinyl – Does It Exist?
With the ongoing trend to restore the lost glory on the planet, craft vinyl makers have been looking for alternate ways of improving their vinyl. Today, there are ranges of eco-friendly vinyl that can help replace toxic vinyl.
If you’d still like to craft with craft vinyl but play a part in environmental conservation and being safe, the best way to go around this is to use eco-friendly craft vinyl.
Eco-friendly craft vinyl is made to be friendly to the environment as well as to human health. It is food grade, safe on the skin, and does not contain harmful plasticizers such as phthalates, lead, and BPA. Even the dyes used are “green”.
This type of craft vinyl has undergone laboratory tests to ascertain it is free from such carcinogens and is safer to use compared to other vinyl items.
Look For CPSIA-Certified Vinyl
CPSIA are the initials for Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act. It is a US government act that provides guidelines for the safety of products made or imported into the US. It governs all consumer products and has a strong bias on children’s products.
Besides outlining the guidelines and restrictions for production and handling, it also tests products continuously for hazardous contents.
Most importantly, eco-friendly vinyls have also been certified by the CPSIA as non-toxic and safe even for babies. You can go for this kind of vinyl instead of opting out of the fun and glamour of vinyl crafting.
Purchasing craft vinyl that carries the CPSIA certification logo is the sure-fire way to know that you are handling safe craft vinyl.
Siser Easyweed is one such brand that makes non-toxic craft vinyl. It is popular for HTV though it makes stick and peel vinyl sheets as well. Firefly crafts is another brand of vinyl that is CPSIA certified.
There are a few other craft vinyl brands that eco-conscious crafters love. You too might consider them to avoid any potential hazardous effects of using toxic vinyl. Just check out for the CPSIA certification logo on the package, and you are good to go.
Vinyl Alternatives
Green movements and enthusiasts will always advocate for the complete ban of vinyl. However useful vinyl is in production, its prohibition is crucial to the call for a better environment.
Unfortunately, that’s impractical, if not impossible in the short term, because of how deeply rooted industries’ dependence on it is.
There are some suggestions for vinyl alternatives that are eco-friendly. Cork and linoleum are two alternative substitutes for vinyl but for specific applications such as flooring. They both originate from sustainable and renewable sources and are environmentally friendly.
But even these are not enough to sustain the demand and uses for vinyl. Vinyl has always been preferred because it is cheaper to produce, and it is also a very durable material and versatile for virtually limitless applications that other materials can never measure up to.
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