Daily Buzz

PVC resin and plasticiser producers and converters serving the healthcare industry have formed the PVCMed Alliance. The group aims to establish a forum where healthcare professionals and regulators can discuss the use of PVC in healthcare applications, with an emphasis on the material’s safety and cost effectiveness. Environmental concerns also will be a focus.

The reputation of PVC has been tarnished in the public realm by claims that some plasticisers may leach out of the material and cause a health hazard. The material, however, has been used in medical devices since the 1960s and achieves an enviable balance between patient safety and cost, in the views of industry and many scientists.

“The PVCMed Alliance will actively communicate about PVC and its additives, its properties and its essential contribution to quality care delivery for healthcare professionals. It will also promote innovative and environmentally friendly practices in PVC healthcare applications,” explains PVCMed Alliance spokesperson Brigitte Dero in a press release.

“We are delighted to launch the website [which] will raise awareness of PVC and plasticiser use by providing trusted scientifically based information on a wide range of issues to healthcare professionals and regulators,” adds Ole Grøndahl Hansen, project manager of the PVCMed Alliance and a member of the EMDT editorial advisory board.

Members of the PVCMed Alliance currently include BASF, Eastman, OXEA, Renolit, Tarkett and Colorite Europe.