Friday, October 8, 2010

ARTIFICIAL CHRISTMAS TREES, CAUSING REAL PROBLEMS

ARTIFICIAL CHRISTMAS TREES DAMAGE THE ENVIRONMENT AND POSE HEALTH RISKS TO CONSUMERS


Fake Christmas trees have a negative impact on the environment and pose significant health risks and hazards for both consumers and workers. Artificial Christmas trees are made with polyvinyl chloride (or PVC) which is a petroleum-derived plastic. The raw material for fake Christmas trees is both non-renewable and polluting.

In order to make the PVC needles on artificial trees more malleable, the manufacturers use lead and other additives which have been linked to liver, kidney, neurological and reproductive system damage in lab studies on animals.

Finally, since artificial trees are not biodegradable and cannot be recycled, their disposal is damaging to the environment. If disposed in a landfill, artificial trees will never breakdown but rather permanently remain in landfills. If disposed of by incineration, the PVC in artificial trees will emit into the atmosphere dioxins and other carcinogens resulting in health risks.

No comments: