Contact: Sarah McBride, [email protected]
Sara Klein, [email protected], 631-905-6403
April is Earth Month, and this year’s theme is “Planet vs. Plastics.” On Friday, 4/26, Moms Clean Air Force and Beyond Plastics will host a virtual panel discussion and Q&A about “Blue Vinyl,” an award-winning documentary film that follows a woman looking to update her parents’ home only to find that the vinyl chloride typically used in many materials came with alarming environmental, health, and environmental justice impacts. Although the film “Blue Vinyl” was released in 2002, it remains relevant today as vinyl chloride persists in American products, threatening the health of consumers, the communities surrounding PVC production facilities, and those living along railways that transport the dangerous chemical.
Vinyl chloride is a toxic chemical used to make polyvinyl chloride (aka vinyl or PVC) plastic. It’s found in PVC pipes, vinyl siding, windows, flooring, packaging, furniture, car parts, children’s toys, pet toys, shower curtains, credit cards, gift cards, and many other consumer goods. Vinyl chloride is a Group 1 carcinogen. Moms Clean Air Force and Beyond Plastics panelists will discuss vinyl chloride’s health risks—and what individuals can do about it.
WHAT: Virtual panel discussion and Q&A of “Blue Vinyl,” an award-winning documentary film, followed by a panel discussion with experts from Moms Clean Air Force and Beyond Plastics.
WHEN: Friday, April 26th, 12-1pm ET (contact us to receive a link to review the film)
WHERE: bit.ly/EarthMonthQA
WHO:
- Cynthia Palmer, Senior Analyst, Petrochemicals, Moms Clean Air Force
- Rachel Meyer, Ohio River Valley Field Organizer, Moms Clean Air Force
- Jenny Gitlitz, Director of Solutions to Plastic Pollution, Beyond Plastics
- Elizabeth Bechard, Senior Policy Analyst, Moms Clean Air Force (moderator)
RESOURCES:
- Making the Invisible Visible: Blue Vinyl Filmmaker Judith Helfand on Storytelling and Advocacy
- Blue Vinyl Film Pre-Screening Guide
- Vinyl chloride 101 fact sheet (2023)
- Vinyl chloride is a risk to our children’s health article (2024)
- Dioxins 101 fact sheet (2023)
- Toxic chemical under fresh scrutiny a year after East Palestine train crash article (2024)
- EPA takes first step towards banning cancer-causing vinyl chloride article (2023)
- Petrochemical pollution and our health fact sheet (2022)
- Plastics and climate change fact sheet (2024)