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Environment, Health & Safety

Concerns about a material’s effects on the environment and human health and safety should be top-of-mind during the material selection process. Lubrizol made these factors a priority when formulating Corzan® CPVC.

Corzan CPVC has earned green certifications, helps mitigate health risks from Legionella and keeps people safe from aggressive chemicals.

Environmental Impact and Corzan CPVC

Corzan CPVC’s commitment to providing long-lasting, resource-conscious materials spans from our behind-the-scenes efforts to develop the most efficient practices to an end product that maximizes its life cycle.

To fully understand the impact of our products and to support the needs of architects, Lubrizol completed a life-cycle assessment for Corzan Piping Systems globally and in North America. The result is a baseline report that assesses the cradle-to-grave environmental impacts of the system, including the raw materials, manufacturing, transportation, use and end-of-life stages. The evaluation was conducted by third-party agency, ERM, and was peer-reviewed by Dr. Walter Klöppfer, Editor-In-Chief of the International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment. To obtain a copy of Corzan CPVC’s LCA, please contact us.

Corzan CPVC also contributes to environmental protection through its long service life; less waste enters landfills from Corzan CPVC than competing products because a properly installed Corzan CPVC system can last many decades. And Corzan CPVC requires less energy to produce and is significantly lighter than metallic alternatives, so fewer resources are consumed transporting Corzan CPVC to its destination. At the end of its service life, CPVC can be recycled into drainage piping or window profiles or ground into pellets and granules for use in many products, such as floor fillings/coatings, speed bumps and car mats. For its green commitments, Corzan CPVC has earned a +Vantage Vinyl™ Verified GreenCircle Certification and a Home Innovation NGBS Green Certified™ certificate.

You can view the full results and comparisons of Corzan CPVC’s environmental product reports here:

 

LEED Credits

Many new projects seek LEED certification to show its energy efficiency, water quality, resource conservation efforts and more. Choosing Corzan CPVC can contribute to earning LEED credits in four Materials & Resources categories as well as two Innovation categories under LEED v4 BD+C:

  • Materials & Resources: Building Product Disclosure and Optimization, Environmental Product Declarations – Specifiers can earn 1 point for including at least 20 products from five different manufacturers with disclosure material consisting of a product-specific declaration, an EPD or a USGBC-approved program.
  • Material & Resources: Building Product Disclosure and Optimization, Multi-Attribute Optimization – Specifiers can earn 1 point for using products that comply with one of several criteria for 50%, by cost, of the total value of permanently installed products in the project. Structure and enclosure materials may not constitute more than 30% of the value of compliant building products.
  • Materials & Resources: Construction and Demolition Waste Management, Diversion – Specifiers can earn 1-2 points by using recycled and/or salvaged nonhazardous construction and demolition materials.
  • Materials & Resources: Healthcare, BPT Source Reduction: Lead, Cadmium and Copper – Specifiers can earn 2 points by specifying substitutes for material manufactured with lead and cadmium.
  • Innovation: Building Material Human Hazard and Exposure Assessment – Specifiers can earn 1 point by using at least 5 different permanently installed products from at least two different manufacturers with validated hazard assessment and exposure for each substance.
  • Innovation: Integrative Analysis of Building Materials – Specifiers can earn 1 point by using at least three different permanently installed products that have a documented qualitative analysis of the potential health, safety and environmental impacts of the product in five stages of the product’s life cycle (product assembly/manufacturing, building product installation, product use product maintenance, end of product life/reuse).

 

Better Health with Corzan CPVC

Along with its environmental impact considerations, Corzan CPVC provides the peace of mind for the health and wellness of those living and working near Corzan CPVC.

Unlike metallic alternatives, Corzan CPVC is innately corrosion resistant, and its smooth surface is resistant to biofilm. Corzan CPVC thus provides an inhospitable environment for dangerous bacteria like Legionella, which can cause serious and even fatal respiratory diseases. Corzan CPVC is also more resistant to bacteria build-up than some other plastics.

CZNew-left-column-content-material-advantages-environment-and-safety-legionella-graph

And some other plastics are unable to withstand the high temperatures needed to kill bacteria like Legionella and also contain plasticizers that can foster microorganisms. Corzan CPVC can handle the high temperatures of disinfection per ASHRAE Guideline 12-2000 and ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 188-2015 and never contains plasticizers. Furthermore, secondary disinfection – especially common in medical facilities – uses disinfecting agents like chlorine dioxide or monochloramine, which degrade many other materials but not Corzan CPVC.

Corzan CPVC Helps Keep You Safe

Corzan CPVC keeps those working and living around a piping system safer, from its long, durable service life to its ability to handle the harshest materials.

Because it naturally resists corrosion, Corzan CPVC is less susceptible to the failures associated with corroded pipes. And in emergencies like fire, Corzan CPVC is an asset: Formulated to be fire resistant, Corzan CPVC is self-extinguishing and won’t propagate a fire or spread flames. It also resists ignition better than other plastics.

Corzan CPVC has been extensively tested not just for burn resistance but also for impact, pressure and temperature resistance to give you the data you need to choose and operate a Corzan CPVC system with confidence. Even installation is safer: Corzan CPVC is many times lighter than metallic alternatives, requiring fewer workers and less physical exertion during installation.

When chosen for the right applications and installed correctly, Corzan CPVC holds up against even the most corrosive chemicals life hydrochloric acid, corrosive bleach and sulfuric acid. Lubrizol Advanced Materials has made it easy to confirm Corzan CPVC’s suitability for your application. The Corzan® CPVC Chemical Resistance Table is an interactive tool that contains data on over 400 chemicals to help you confirm whether Corzan CPVC is an appropriate choice.

The FBC™ System Compatible Program is a resource to help you select the right ancillary products, such as disinfectants or gasket lubricants, for use with Corzan CPVC. Lubrizol offers additional resources on topics like correct hot air welding, supports and hangers and solvent cement use and cure times to help you achieve an installation that maximizes safety.

Our goal is to help you specify and install the safest, longest-lasting solution possible with Corzan CPVC.

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