Blue Vinyl

You think vinyl is safe? This film Blue Vinyl make you think about how polyvinyl chloride is made and the products we use everyday for living. The consequences of the manufacture, use and disposal of vinyl, how get rid of the material can be fatal for the workers in the industry plant and people around the plant. It digs deeper that this means to our health in general public. It is light and funny, but straight to the point. After the watching film at the Philadelphia Festival of World Cinema, I saw the directors Daniel B. Gold and Judith Helfand and told them it a film that will open your eyes about the world around us. The directors were glad to hear about the comment of the film. A film not to be missed.

This documentary is fairly well done. It tells an interesting story about a product many of us are relatively familiar with. The basic techniques were adequate and I had little qualms with the overall product.

I guess if there was a problem with the movie was the overall message. Don't get me wrong, I can totally buy that there may be some harmful materials in vinyl, I am just not sure I found a reasonable solution within the film. It seems to me that sometimes addressing a problem is only a first step and this movie did little other than to wag its finger for 90 minutes.

Finally, while I can understand that there may be some repercussions from vinyl use, I am not sure if I totally buy every lurid detail I was fed. Afterall, the movie started out with a woman looking for a problem... and found one

Interesting that the two previous 'comments' for this film are from 'film fans' who have opinions about no other films! The complaints mentioned--that the film is based on 'biased' science, and that the spokesperson for the Vinyl Institute was extremely convincing--don't outweigh the considerable evidence on display here. To set the record straight: Judith Helfand DID interview two scientists associated with Greenpeace. She also interviewed a scientist, previously employed by the vinyl industry, who agreed with the contention that, yes, PVC is a potential toxin. There are also interviews with an Italian scientist, other American scientists, and a plethora of PVC victims who became seriously ill after exposure in the workplace to PVC. On a less contentious note, this is one of the most enjoyable 'doomsday' docs out there, and Ms. Helfand is a delightful and entertaining host, even as she points out the obvious: big money will always trump public health and environmental safety.

Judith Helfand and Daniel Gold have created a wonderful documentary in Blue Vinyl. Judith's parents have put light blue vinyl siding on her house... but Judith suspects there are serious dangers from vinyl to humans... during its manufacture, if it burns, when its disposed of. Having lost her uterus from DES poisoning, she shares a bond with the cancer victims who work in and live in the shadow of the vinyl and PVC factories. Judith has this gravelly high voice, a quirky sense of humor, and a vulnerability in the face of corporate America that makes her irresistible. Blue Vinyl is also beautifully and imaginatively shot... I saw this at Sundance (2002) and Daniel Gold won the prize for documentary cinematography. There is also wonderful use of music and animation. Highly recommended.

This film, already four years old, (successfully I think) explores the toxic potentiality of only one everyday item. There are scores of other contaminants out there, with the growing problem of e-waste something that will impact on everyone sooner or later. There is even a black market in e-waste disposal that sends discarded high-tech components to the developing world for crude deconstruction. One commentator referred to "Blue Vinyl" as "lefty." Actually, he or she should take note: the filmmaker notes that adult toys might contain carcinogens. This could be a big boost for the right, who generally don't approve of such items: scores of vibrators having to be discarded or recalled.