Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC) is a common chemically enhanced plastic product; it is cheap, durable, easy to assemble, and extremely toxic. In recent years, PVC has been replacing traditional building materials such as wood, concrete and clay. Because around 57% of its mass is chlorine, it gives off quite a bit of deadly HCl gas when it is burned. This can mean the difference between surviving a house fire and, well, not. PVC building materials are a hazard to the occupants as well as firefighters in such a situation.
An article on "PVC: The Poison Plastic" noted that the EPA measured the highest ambient air concentrations of dioxins ever near ground zero after Sept. 11, likely due to the combustion of PVC and other chlorinated materials.
Furthermore, even without applied heat, PVC leaches poisonous dioxins and phathalates (DEHP or DINP) known to damage reproductive systems and cause cancer, not to mention they're harmful to the environment. According to the EPA, "vinyl chloride emissions from polyvinyl chloride (PVC), ethylene dichloride (EDC), and vinyl chloride monomer (VCM) plants cause or contribute to air pollution that may reasonably be anticipated to result in an increase in mortality or an increase in serious irreversible, or incapacitating reversible illness. Vinyl chloride is a known human carcinogen that causes a rare cancer of the liver."

PVC waste amounts to about 1.23 million tons per year, and guess what?

PVC CANNOT BE RECYCLED EFFECTIVELY
One PVC bottle is capable of contaminating a recycled load of 100,000 polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottles. It is difficult to recycle PVC due to the concentration of chemicals used to soften it. A "3" inside of the universal recycling symbol or a "V" below it means that the item is made of PVC and should not be recycled.

Other than construction materials, PVC is used in consumer products such as cars, shower curtains, sports equipment, plastic packaging, and even childrens toys.

A statistic in The Green Book states, "if every child under twelve received just one alternative-to-plastic birthday gift this year, not only could an estimated twenty-five million [25,000,000] tons of plastic toys be diverted from landfills, but the total energy savings could bake thirty-one million [31,000,000] birthday cakes." (Rogers 81)

Find an alternative to this "poisonous plastic." There is a growing market replacing hazardous PVC products (generally in the form of safer plastics). Avoid those items with the elusive "3" or "V." Buy toys made of natural materials such as wood or organic cotton; eliminate that extra plastic liner in your shower. It will be safer for you, your family, and your planet.




Sources:
http://www.besafenet.com/pvc/
http://www.greenpeace.org/​
Rogers, Elizabeth and Thomas M. Kostigen, The Green Book
and a little from wikipedia, shh