Back in the day, it was difficult to find a home that didn’t have a record player in it. Until the compact disc (CD) was introduced in 1982 and began to take over the music market, the record player was the go-to device that people used to listen to music at home.
Record players play vinyl records of various sizes but most people just called them records. A slang term for vinyl records is wax and you often heard that term used in the recording industry. But vinyl records were made of vinyl along with a few other ingredients.
Vinyl records used to be pressed with steam and made from PVC along with black carbon, heavy metals and other toxins. With the resurgence of record players, records can now be made with injection molding which uses less energy and without use of dangerous PVC and other toxic chemicals.
But since most records that exist were made the old way with PVC, the question is how dangerous and toxic are they? Let’s take a closer look at how toxic vinyl records are, are they environmentally and where to find eco friendly records!
How toxic are vinyl records?
Traditional vinyl records are made with a combination of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and other toxic materials that combine to make a chemical mixture that is dangerous to human health. The manufacturing process and chemicals used hasn’t really changed much over the years.
Vinyl records have always had a coolness factor to them. They’re thin, shiny, dark black and very sleek. Music aficionados swear by the sound produced by them and these days, owing a record player is a very retro thing to have in your possession.
Having said that, the records themselves are chemical-laden with several that are known to cause side effects for animals and humans.
PVC has a number of chemicals on its own and vinyl records contain further materials that also contain chemicals. A typical vinyl record includes the following:
- Vinyl chloride which is a known carcinogen that causes cancer but is a chief component of PVC.
- Ethylene dichloride which is another toxin that is known to cause problems with liver and kidney function of animals.
- Mercury which is a neurotoxin and the EPA has placed limits on human exposure to it as a result. That’s why nutritionists suggest limiting fish intake given the amount of mercury they may contain.
- Dioxins and Furans, which aren’t specifically produced but are a byproduct from the creation of other products that are known to have negative effects on liver function and on our skin, and may cause certain types of cancer. They’re in vinyl records, too.
- PCBs (Polychlorinated biphenyls) which have long been known to be harmful to humans and animals, leading to an increased rate of melanoma and several types of cancer. Vinyl records contain them, too.
Do vinyl records off-gas?
Vinyl records give off harmful pollutants due to the materials they are made from. Vinyl records are made with PVC which includes vinyl chloride as an ingredient, a known human carcinogen.
Just the production process of PVC releases toxins and since you store and listen to records inside your home, the pollutants off-gas indoors which means the toxins slowly release into the air over time.
Which pollutants specifically?
PVC production releases dangerous pollutants including vinyl chloride, ethylene dichloride, mercury, dioxins and furans, and PCBs.
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In other words, the same chemicals we referred to above.
The important part to remember is that we are able to deal with a certain amount of various chemicals but over time, the cumulative effect can have negative effects on our health.
Combined however, each of these chemicals pollutes the air that we breathe inside the home along with many other off-gassing aspects of the home such as vinyl and wood flooring, paint and finishes.
Are vinyl records environmentally friendly?
Vinyl records are made from a variety of harmful materials using a fairly energy-intensive process that is not considered environmentally friendly. Between the toxins and acids used to make vinyl records along with the steaming and cooling involved in the manufacturing process, it’s a very dirty production cycle.
Recycling records is not something that is currently possible. Vinyl records also need at least 100 years to decompose completely so when you throw your records out, they go into the landfill and spend decades there very slowly breaking down.
The only alternatives to get rid of your records would be to sell or donate them to someone else who can use them.
Eco friendly vinyl records
Since 2006 when the vinyl record comeback began, sales have grown from about 2.5 million copies per year to about 27.5 million in 2020 in the United States alone.
So with the demand for vinyl records increasing, what is being done to produce them more environmentally friendly than before?
Recently, several record producing companies have begun to improve the way vinyl records are made by updating the manufacturing process and changing the materials used to make them.
Green Vinyl Records from the Netherlands is a collection of 8 companies who produce records with a faster and more energy efficient injection mold process resulting in a 70% reduction in energy usage. They’ve also moved away from PVC to what they call an environmentally friendly material.
Viral Technologies from Canada has designed a fully automated modern vinyl record production process with reduced PVC wasted called WarmTone.
Deepgrooves is another Dutch record (and CD) manufacturer that focuses on the concept of As Green As Possible. They’ve removed the standard (and toxic) heavy metal stabilizers found in vinyl records with a calcium zinc stabilizer instead. Their machines even use green gas and solar electricity to operate.
And remember when we said above that vinyl records couldn’t be recycled? Well, German record manufacturer Optimal Media produces vinyl records using 100% recycled materials from recycled PVC for the records themselves to recycled paper for the labels and packaging. So while the records aren’t recyclable, the materials they’re now made from are!
These are just some of the new ways traditional vinyl records are now being made that balances both the desired look and sound of a record with the result of making them less taxing on the environment.