The Dangers of handling vinyl (PVC)??

[ahgrafx]

I'm somewhat new to the printing side of things and I print on vinyl all day long and handle it a lot. I've been reading about the dangers of handling and being around pvc, I do notice the smell. I try to eat healthy, organic and have had cancer in my family so I'm just wondering if this fear of handling vinyl all day for year will cause problems later down the road. Anyone know anything about this?

 

[P Wagner]

I'm somewhat new to the printing side of things and I print on vinyl all day long and handle it a lot. I've been reading about the dangers of handling and being around pvc, I do notice the smell. I try to eat healthy, organic and have had cancer in my family so I'm just wondering if this fear of handling vinyl all day for year will cause problems later down the road. Anyone know anything about this?

PolyVinylChloride (PVC) material certainly contains materials that are known to cause cancer, including Plasticizers. Look into California Proposition 65 for more information on this. On the ink side of the equation, nickel (commonly used as a colorant in Yellow ink) is also a known carcinogen. Finally, all Solvent-based ink sets, including eco-solvent inks, produce VOCs that are released into the air in the immediate vicinity of the printer as it prints, and the prints will continue to release these VOCs and HAPs into the air as the ink evaporates over time. Some types of UV-curing printers' lamp systems will produce large amounts of ozone, which is also very bad to ingest directly.

 

[ahgrafx]

PolyVinylChloride (PVC) material certainly contains materials that are known to cause cancer, including Plasticizers. Look into California Proposition 65 for more information on this. On the ink side of the equation, nickel (commonly used as a colorant in Yellow ink) is also a known carcinogen. Finally, all Solvent-based ink sets, including eco-solvent inks, produce VOCs that are released into the air in the immediate vicinity of the printer as it prints, and the prints will continue to release these VOCs and HAPs into the air as the ink evaporates over time. Some types of UV-curing printers' lamp systems will produce large amounts of ozone, which is also very bad to ingest directly.

Thanks Castek, have you heard of any people being in the printer business for a long time devoloping cancer? any way to keep this from happening or is the only way to avoid it to get out of the printing industry? lol I sit within 4ft of 2 wide format mutoh valuejets all day.

 

[P Wagner]

Thanks Castek, have you heard of any people being in the printer business for a long time devoloping cancer? any way to keep this from happening or is the only way to avoid it to get out of the printing industry? lol I sit within 4ft of 2 wide format mutoh valuejets all day.

Any evidence would be strictly anecdotal at this point, and not conclusive.

Frankly, I would be most concerned with the VOCs that the solvent inks are releasing into the air that you are breathing. Your options would include:

1) Venting or cleaning the air in the print room (clean with an air scrubber that uses activated charcoal).
2) Moving your seating location physically farther from the printers.

VOCs are heavier than air, and will drop towards the floor in a room without airflow.

 

[bob]

I imagine if you ate a couple of rolls of vinyl it might not agree with you but merely being around it and, gasp, handling it might have some micro, more likely nano, effect .If any at all.

Always remember that any time removed from your life by dealing with vinyl, or anything else for that matter, comes off the other end. You won't miss it. Good health is just a slow way to die.

 

[ahgrafx]

I imagine if you ate a couple of rolls of vinyl it might not agree with you but merely being around it and, gasp, handling it might have some micro, more likely nano, effect .If any at all.

Always remember that any time removed from your life by dealing with vinyl, or anything else for that matter, comes off the other end. You won't miss it. Good health is just a slow way to die.

lol very bleak way to look at it bob, I think of it as going more peacefully instead of in the pain of cancer or other preventable diseases.

 

[ChicagoGraphics]

I been handling vinyls since they came out, and I feel fine, as with the inks I use you use were much worse then what is out today and I haven't grown a 3rd eye.

 

[ahgrafx]

I been handling vinyls since they came out, and I feel fine, as with the inks I use you use were much worse then what is out today and I haven't grown a 3rd eye.

that is great to hear chicago! although a third eye would be kinda cool if it was in the back of your head lol

 

[Mosh]

I have been around vinyl for 26 years and according to my Dr. I am health. I also smoke and drink heavily....

 

[SignProPlus-Chip]

Eh, vinyl won't hurt you. I have worked with it for over twenty years and never had any monkey ham danger rolodex snap hot dog platypus dinosaur.