Uses:

The uses for PVC can be for electrical insulators and usually are used for pipes since
they are cheap and easy to mold they are easily found on window frames and can be
used for medical devices because it is light and impossible to tear, it is very durable
and resistant to weathering which is why it is mostly used for building or
construction.

Effects on its Environment:

The effects of PVC to the environment are that PVC is not considered eco-friendly
and is the most toxic plastic. Because it is made by a chemical reaction between
chlorine, carbon, and ethylene and it also causes the release of other harmful
chemicals, it does a lot of harm to the environment. PVC also cannot be recycled
because of its high chlorine content in raw PVC and the high levels of hazardous
additives added to the polymer to achieve the desired material quality. As a result,
PVC requires separation from other plastics before mechanical recycling. The other
effect of PVC is because of its high chlorine content, it creates toxic pollution in the
form of dioxins, which accumulate in animals' fat up through the food chain.
Exposure to PVC often includes exposure to phthalates, which may have serious
health effects. 

Conclusion:

The second most popular, and useful, the artificial polymer is "polyvinyl chloride", PVC. In
it's pure form PVC is quite rigid and will not easily catch fire, so it forms the basis of all
kinds of pipes, and coverings for such things as siding, windows, and doors. When other
things, called plasticizers, are added to PVC, the material becomes much more flexible and
can be used to produce everything from garden hose to shower curtains.
Such a universal, and safe, material has a dangerous start. The monomer used in it's synthesis
is a deadly poisonous gas called vinyl chloride. This gas is made by passing oxygen,
hydrogen chloride and ethylene over copper, which acts as a catalyst. After very careful
storage and handling, the vinyl chloride is mixed with initiators that begin the polymerization
process.

PVC is a homopolymer, which in its pure form is too stiff for most applications. However if a
second monomer, vinyl acetate is also incorporated into the chain, a more flexible product is
created that has many more uses. In 1930, the Union Carbide Corporation first began making
this 'copolymer', called it "Vinylite", and pressed music into it to make phonograph records.