HigginsHeatherAnnotation7

The film “Blue Vinyl” by Judith Helfand and Daniel b. Gold was released in 2002. This documentary has a story line to go along with the information. The narrator’s parents have re-sided their house with blue vinyl siding, instead of the original wood. She is concerned with how this vinyl will affect the health of those with which it comes in contact. Her family has had firsthand experience with chemical poisoning. The narrator’s mother was given DES, a synthetic estrogen, during her pregnancy with the narrator. At 25 the narrator was diagnosed with cervical cancer and had a radical hysterectomy. The family sued the company that produced this drug and won. The narrator calls this her “uterus money” and used it to finance the film.

A key part of vinyl is PVC, Louisiana produces a third of America’s PVC. The communities around the plants accept that there are chemicals in the area; they believe that is there is anything hazardous it will be taken care of right away. Companies hold community risk management meetings to assure residents that the byproducts are okay. One resident that was interviewed remembered when raw material came out of one of the flares. This is clearly not a safe place for residents, no matter how many risk management meetings are held.

Vinyl is everywhere “making a difference every day.” Vinyl representatives interviewed feel vinyl is a completely safe product. It is made out of NaCl, table salt, how could it be dangerous? Representatives feel, “it’s not as bad as it was made out to be.” The vinyl on houses is completely safe unless there is a house fire. It has been discovered that people trapped in vinyl sided houses die from inhaling toxins before the fire reaches them. In the MGM Grand Hotel fire in Las Vegas guests died from inhaling toxic gas from the PVC in the building.

It is difficult and expensive to recycle PVC so most is just thrown away. During production dioxin is given off. Dioxin gets into the atmosphere and into the food chain; it builds up in human beings’ bodies. A lawyer interviewed during the film feels there in a conspiracy between all vinyl companies to keep the effects of working in their factories under wraps. He is allowed one visit to the factory per case. He video tapes everywhere the worker was to see where exposure may have occurred. Everyone working in bagging in the 1970s got either lung or larynx cancer. Studies done in rats show cancerous tumors developing because of exposure to chemicals that are created during the production of vinyl.

Vinyl companies in Europe had a secrecy agreement. The industry eventually had to admit to finding a link between vinyl chloride and cancer. Because of this the workers union demanded less exposure. Vinyl was taken out of hair spray and other everyday items.

Some communities surrounding vinyl plants have started questioning the quality of the air they breathe. Bucket brigades have sprung up in an attempt to collect air samples. There were communities forced out due to toxins in the air. In Venice PVC manufacturers were named in a suit, 31 of the company’s executives. These executives were tried for manslaughter. The company knowingly dumped toxins into the river, putting people in nearby communities are risk. One hundred fifty men died because of the affects of these chemicals.

The narrator goes to California to look at alternative siding options. She finds reused wood to be the best option. This is expensive, but safer for the whole neighborhood. She had to use her uterus money to pay for the siding. Since there was no way to safely dispose of the vinyl siding the family cut it into pieces to string on Mardi Gras beads with warnings about vinyl. Now 122 countries have signed a treaty to phase out twelve of the World’s most dangerous pollutants, one third are byproducts of vinyl.

This film best addresses a range of people, the anecdote of bringing the vinyl siding everywhere was enjoyable. Those with homes and families will have a soft spot for the narrator’s struggle to find non-vinyl siding. It is difficult to avoid using vinyl in a person’s everyday life, vinyl is everywhere. The film could have addressed more ways to avoid vinyl, other than not using it to side a house.