Chinese PVC imports raise cancer risk for Indians

New Delhi: Extensive dumping of poor quality PVC resin with high levels of carcinogen compounds by China poses a significant public health risk in India, and timely enforcement of the proposed Quality Control Order (QCO) is necessary, a report said on Thursday.

The report by Centre for Domestic Economy Policy Research (C-DEP.in) launched here said that PVC currently contributes to nearly 30 per cent of use cases in India’s economy, with widespread use across water, sanitation, irrigation, healthcare, construction, and infrastructure.

PVCs from China contain Residual Vinyl Chloride Monomer, a Category 1A carcinogen, at concentrations up to five times higher than globally accepted safety limits, the report noted.

The United States, the European Union, and Thailand regulate Residual Vinyl Chloride Monomer (RVCM) levels in PVC resin within a stringent range of 0.5 ppm to 3 ppm, ensuring safety in water and food-contact applications.

India, however, does not yet have a binding national limit on RVCM, which has allowed imports of PVC resin from China with concentrations reported between 5 ppm and 10 ppm.

This difference in quality benchmarking should be removed by the timely implementation of the PVC QCO to ensure Indian standards are at par with global safety benchmarks, the report argued. The Department of Chemicals and Petrochemicals had notified a Quality Control Order (QCO) on PVC resin in August 2024, but deferred enforcement three times, with enforcement now scheduled for December 2025. “The government has been championing the Zero Defect, Zero Effect by adopting the Quality Control Order (QCO). Such a policy step by the government is strengthening consumer safety and industrial standards while promoting exports from India that are dependable and of high quality,” said Dr Jaijit Bhattacharya, President of C-DEP.in.