Researchers and experts tend to believe that PVC windows are safe. More controversial opinions about whether plastic windows are harmful to health are found in consumer reviews. The most frequently asked questions are about the harmfulness of chlorine, the presence of lead, ventilation, condensate, etc. In this review, we will answer all these questions, after which it will become clear whether plastic windows are harmful or a myth.

Myths About the Dangers of PVC Windows for Health

The material from which plastic products are made has a complex composition. It includes components that are dangerous in their pure form. This is what gave rise to numerous myths about plastic windows. Let’s look at each of them in detail.

Chlorine and Ethylene Content

Chlorine and ethylene are poisonous. They are part of profiles. The percentage of chlorine is up to 57%, ethylene — is up to 43%. However, chlorine is also a component of table salt, but death does not occur from its moderate consumption — on the contrary, the cardiovascular system, blood, and other body fluids suffer without salt at all. Chlorine and ethylene of plastic products are in a bound state, so they do not bring harm.

In developed countries, PVC windows are recommended for installation in hospitals and children’s educational institutions, which clearly answers the question of whether plastic windows are harmful to health. Therefore, the harm of chlorine and ethylene in windows is a myth.

Additives and Heavy Metals

Window plastic is produced by mixing powder components, including stabilizers, pigments, plasticizers. Phthalic acid compounds give strength to the material. They give the plastic its characteristic smell. For colour stability, the ability to withstand weather changes, salts of stearic acid are mixed in — stearates of barium, calcium, cadmium, zinc, lead. This is what plastic windows could be harmful to health if the components were not mixed.

Individually, chemicals cause severe harm to the body. They affect the liver, kidneys, nervous system, respiratory organs. Especially dangerous are lead fumes, vinyl chloride releases to children and pensioners. However, the harmfulness of plastic windows to health is reduced to zero due to the interconnection of all components together. For substances to enter the air, the plastic must heat up to 120-220 degrees or more. During normal operation, even the sun and batteries do not provide such heating.

Lead Additive

Lead increases strength, resistance to chipping and scratching. It gives the window profile whiteness. Lead compounds absorb ultraviolet rays, preventing fading under the sun.

Many believe that the lead in plastic windows negatively affects health. In its pure form, the metal poisons the kidneys, destroys the thyroid gland, the nervous system, and accumulates in the bones. However, in plastic, all components are bonded, including lead. It doesn’t evaporate. To enter the body, the plastic must crumble into powder.

Nevertheless, it is lead that encourages Europeans to refuse to install PVC glazing. To minimize the hypothetical danger, manufacturers replace lead with compounds of potassium and zinc. They are harmless both in their pure form and in the bound, which makes plastic with their use completely safe.

Complaints About the Plastic Windows of Users

The most frequently asked questions are about:

• Low ventilation. A modern solution to the problem of insufficient ventilation is a breathable plastic window. They do not require special devices, since the design itself implies the possibility of gas exchange while maintaining heat-insulating and noise-protective properties;
• Condensate. The inability of plastic windows to ventilate does not always impact the formation of condensate. Often this is a consequence of depressurization of the double-glazed window or errors during installation. The reason may lie in poor-quality seals. Therefore, it is important to choose windows from reliable manufacturers.

How to Choose Healthy Plastic Windows?

To avoid the harm that PVC windows can bring, you should install:

• Lead-free products;
• Profiles and double-glazed windows provide sound and heat insulation;
• Systems with the possibility of comfortable ventilation;
• Designs with sufficient light transmission.

When installing ventilation on plastic windows, you can additionally mount plugs to control the degree of air exchange to prevent temperature drops and drafts. When choosing windows that are safe for health, the main thing is to contact trusted manufacturers and window companies that have all certificates and guarantees.