Walk into any residential or commercial building and you’ll find vinyl compounds in dozens of forms and uses. Valued for its versatility and price-performance benefits, vinyl has been trusted and continually improved with creative chemistries for decades; it has also been criticized, although the assertions made against the material have changed over time. Most designers and engineers know the benefits of vinyl, including its inherent stain, scratch, flame and UV resistance, but they also hear objections to its specification and use, for reasons that may not be entirely clear even to those who voice the objections.

This overview of issues and concerns in construction materials selection to help understand the perceptions and science of vinyl. We review PVC from the most common concerns — Indoor Air Quality, Disposal and Recycling, Use of Phthalate Plasticizers, and Product Safety and Combustion.