Discarded flex sheets could set off a series of environmental hazards, warned a polymer scientist.
Some of the hazardous materials used as additives in the PVC could leach into water sources. Then there is the colouring pigments used for printing, which are also hazardous in nature, said Thomas Kurian, Head of the Department of Polymer Science and Rubber Technology of the Cochin University of Science and Technology, Kochi.
The PVC used to coat the cloth in the flex sheets would take a long time to degrade in soil. Even though the sheets get disintegrated after being exposed to elements, it could remain in soil for long years. In some cases it could even take more than half-a-century to degrade, said Dr. Kurian.
ADVERTISEMENT
One of the most common modes of disposal of the sheets is to burn them. The sheets cannot be completely burned in the process. After the initial burning, it would start fuming.
The fuming of the sheets while burning would release hydrogen chloride and vapours of additives used in the PVC formulation, which can cause health hazards. The recycling of the sheets is not an easy job, he pointed out.