The question seems to be a bit confusing and a bit difficult, its hard to find a crystal clear answer to the age-old ‘real versus fake’ Christmas tree debate. Some might bank on fake trees, because they are re-used every year and thus don’t generate the waste of their real counterparts. It’s logical, true! – But not at least from a personal and public health standpoint.
Do you know, fake trees are made with polyvinyl chloride (PVC, otherwise known as vinyl), one of the most environmentally offensive forms of non-renewable, petroleum-derived plastic? And to add to it, it contains several known cancer-causing elements including dioxin, ethylene dichloride and vinyl chloride. These are generated during the production of PVC, polluting neighborhoods located near factory sites.
Fake trees also contain lead and other additives, designed to make the otherwise rigid PVC more malleable. Unfortunately, many of these additives have been linked to liver, kidney, neurological and reproductive system damage in lab studies on animals. Find more on it in Children’s Health Environmental Coalition and About.com’s ‘How to Care for a Live Christmas Tree’
Via: Insight News
