A long running campaign to rid hospitals and other health care facilities of medical vinyl products

A long running campaign to rid hospitals and other health care facilities of medical vinyl products

A long running campaign to rid hospitals and other health care facilities of medical vinyl products - endorsed by a variety of religious supporters - has dangerously overstated the risks associated with vinyl use and diverted attention from much more serious health threats, according to a new report from the Acton Institute.

The report focuses on the activities of Health Care Without Harm, a Washington-based environmental advocacy group that seeks to eliminate medical products made of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) plastics. While there may be prudent reasons for limiting vinyl exposure to certain highly vulnerable groups, such as premature infants, the overwhelming weight of scientific evidence shows that not only are vinyl products safe, they are essential to modern healthcare.

"Secular and religious enviro-health activists have grossly exaggerated the potential problems of vinyl products," writes Doug Bandow, author of the Acton Institute report. "The campaign against PVC products is an ideological crusade rather than a campaign for public health."

Although Health Care Without Harm is pressuring the health care industry to phase out medical vinyl, there is no guarantee that it or its supporters would agree on cost-effective substitutes for PVC. Rev. Jerry Zandstra, director of programs at Acton, said that the campaign against medical vinyl - based on a very small risk - would in effect create new harms by denying patients the use of products that have proved safe in billions of treatments.

What's more, he said, the ongoing, concerted effort to remove PVC products from hospitals diverts attention that should be paid to vastly greater health risks.