Lead Stabilizers: 6 Types, How They Work in PVC and Why They Are Restricted

Lead stabilizers are basic lead salts and lead soaps, such as tribasic lead sulfate and dibasic lead stearate, that protect PVC against heat by neutralising the hydrogen chloride it releases during processing. They gave rigid PVC pipe, profiles and cable decades of long-term heat stability and good electrical properties at low cost, so why has the EU restricted lead in PVC to below 0.1 % since 29 November 2024?

Heat stabilizers are one of the 43 families of plastic additives, and lead salts were the first of them to dominate rigid PVC. Six lead compounds built this class: tribasic lead sulfate, dibasic lead phosphite, dibasic lead stearate, neutral lead stearate, dibasic lead phthalate and tetrabasic lead sulfate. Each scavenges hydrogen chloride at a dosage of roughly 0.05 to 5 wt% lead in the finished PVC, and each was tested by the Congo red heat stability method before it left a compounder's line.

For 6 decades, PVC pipe, window profiles and cable insulation ran on these compounds because they gave very long heat stability, high electrical resistivity and, until recently, a low material cost. Lead is one of the metal systems compared on the hub for PVC heat stabilizers, alongside calcium-zinc and organotin systems, and the switch away from lead is one of the best-documented substance transitions in the PVC industry: European producers finished replacing it by the end of 2015, and since 29 November 2024 EU law caps lead in any PVC article at below 0.1 % by weight, under REACH Annex XVII entry 63. Outside the EU, lead grades remain in commercial production, and lead-free replacement systems, calcium-zinc, calcium-organic, organotin and organic-based stabilizers (OBS), now cover the applications lead once owned.

In brief:

• 6 lead compounds were used as PVC heat stabilizers: TBLS, DBLP, DBLS, neutral lead stearate, dibasic lead phthalate and tetrabasic lead sulfate.
• The EU has limited lead in PVC articles to below 0.1 % by weight since 29 November 2024 (Commission Regulation (EU) 2023/923).
• Recovered rigid PVC may still contain up to 1.5 % lead, in 6 listed uses, until 28 May 2033.
• All 6 lead-stabilizer entries reached the REACH SVHC Candidate List on 19 December 2012.

What Are Lead Stabilizers?#

Lead stabilizers are primary PVC heat stabilizers based on basic lead salts (lead sulfates, phosphite, phthalate) and lead soaps (lead stearates) that scavenge the hydrogen chloride PVC releases when heated. PVC starts to lose hydrogen chloride (HCl) slowly at 100 to 120 °C, and unstabilized PVC begins visible degradation at around 250 °C, far below the roughly 400 °C onset of polyethylene, which is why every rigid PVC formulation needs a primary heat stabilizer at all. Stabilizers are one layer of the full package described under additives for PVC, where they typically make up 1 to 5 % of the formulation, according to the European Council of Vinyl Manufacturers (ECVM). Lead stabilizers held that role in the EU until producers completed their replacement at the end of 2015, and they remain a legacy class rather than a current specification for new European formulations.

How do lead stabilizers protect PVC?#

Lead stabilizers protect PVC by neutralising hydrogen chloride as it forms, which removes the catalyst of the zipper-like dehydrochlorination that turns PVC yellow, brown and finally black. Dehydrochlorination starts at labile chlorine defects, allylic and tertiary sites in the polymer backbone, and proceeds as an autocatalytic zipper elimination, a mechanism William Starnes, College of William and Mary, described in detail in "Structural and mechanistic aspects of the thermal degradation of poly(vinyl chloride)", Progress in Polymer Science 27 (2002) 2133. As HCl is released, conjugated polyene sequences build up along the chain and shift the resin's colour from yellow to brown to black; Tomaszewska and colleagues, Polymers 13 (2021) 2057, report that as little as 0.1 % dehydrochlorination already causes unacceptable discoloration.

Lead salts act on PVC in 3 ways:

1. They neutralise HCl as it is released, halting the autocatalytic chain reaction before it accelerates.
2. They form lead chloride (PbCl2), a chloride that is only weakly Lewis-acidic, so it does not catalyse further degradation the way zinc chloride does in zinc-containing systems.
3. They leave an insulating, non-ionizing chloride in the matrix, which keeps the compound's volume resistivity high, a property cable insulation depends on.

That weak Lewis acidity is why lead systems never show the sudden "burning" failure that unprotected zinc soaps do, and it gives lead-stabilized PVC exceptionally long, gradual heat stability rather than a sharp end point. Lead's one structural weakness follows from the same chemistry: basic lead salts substitute labile chlorine poorly compared with organotin stabilizers, so early colour in lead-stabilized PVC is inferior to tin-stabilized PVC, a finding Nagy, Turcsányi and Kelen, Budapest, set out in Die Angewandte Makromolekulare Chemie 104 (1982) 67. The zipper reaction and its labile-chlorine defects are explained step by step under PVC thermal degradation.

What is a lead one-pack stabilizer?#

A lead one-pack is a pre-blended stabilizer and lubricant package in which basic lead salts such as TBLS are combined with lead or calcium soaps and waxes, so that the compounder doses a single powder. Lead soaps such as dibasic lead stearate serve a dual function in these blends, acting as heat stabilizer and internal or external lubricant at the same time, which is why they formed the core of lead one-packs for pipe, profile and cable extrusion. Calcium-zinc one-packs, sold today under lines such as Baerlocher's BAEROPAN, replaced lead one-packs in the EU using the same pre-blended logic: calcium and zinc soaps and co-stabilizers combined with a lubricant package, marketed as metal stearates in their own right. No verified phr figure for a lead one-pack exists in our source library, so this page does not quote a dosage for the blend itself.

What Are the 6 Types of Lead Stabilizers?#

The 6 lead compounds used as PVC heat stabilizers are tribasic lead sulfate, dibasic lead phosphite, dibasic lead stearate, neutral lead stearate, dibasic lead phthalate and tetrabasic lead sulfate. Basic lead salts (TBLS, DBLP) came first in PVC's development, lead soaps (DBLS, neutral lead stearate) added lubrication to the stabilizing function, dibasic lead phthalate served cable insulation specifically, and tetrabasic lead sulfate played a minor, secondary role in PVC compared with its main use in lead-acid battery paste.

Molar masses are taken from PubChem or calculated from the formula. PubChem's structure record for dibasic lead stearate (CID 20849331) shows an incorrect formula.

Three further lead compounds appeared on the same REACH SVHC batch without becoming distinct PVC stabilizer products: sulfurous acid lead salt dibasic, trilead bis(carbonate) dihydroxide and lead oxide sulfate.

1. Tribasic lead sulfate (TBLS)#

Tribasic lead sulfate (TBLS, CAS 12202-17-4) is a basic lead salt used as a primary heat stabilizer in rigid PVC pipe, profiles and cable insulation. It neutralises HCl as it forms and contributes to the high volume resistivity that made lead-stabilized compounds a historical standard for cable, though it substitutes labile chlorine only weakly, which limits early colour compared with tin-based systems. TBLS is covered in full, with identity, hazard and regulatory history, on tribasic lead sulfate. It was added to the REACH SVHC Candidate List on 19 December 2012 and was not included in ECHA's 2019 Annex XIV recommendation.

2. Dibasic lead phosphite (DBLP)#

Dibasic lead phosphite (DBLP, CAS 12141-20-7) combines HCl scavenging with the antioxidant action of its phosphite group, which suited it to outdoor PVC profiles and cable. The phosphite function gave DBLP an advantage over plain lead sulfates for weathering applications, since it addresses oxidative degradation alongside dehydrochlorination. The full record for dibasic lead phosphite is on its own substance page. DBLP was added to the SVHC Candidate List on 19 December 2012 and was recommended for Annex XIV inclusion by ECHA on 21 October 2019, though it was never added.

3. Dibasic lead stearate (DBLS)#

Dibasic lead stearate (DBLS, CAS 12578-12-0) is a lead soap that stabilizes PVC and lubricates the melt at the same time, which is why it formed the core of lead one-packs. Both soaps, dibasic lead stearate and neutral lead stearate, are compared on lead stearate and dibasic lead stearate. DBLS reached the Candidate List on 19 December 2012 and, like DBLP, was recommended for Annex XIV in 2019 without being added.

4. Neutral lead stearate (lead distearate)#

Neutral lead stearate (lead distearate, CAS 1072-35-1) is a white lead soap melting at about 115.7 °C that acts mainly as a lubricant alongside basic lead salts in one-packs, with a density of roughly 1.34 to 1.4 g/cm³. Lead distearate itself is not individually listed as an SVHC; the entry that covers it is "fatty acids, C16-18, lead salts" (EC 292-966-7, CAS 91031-62-8), added to the Candidate List on the same date, 19 December 2012. It shares its substance page with dibasic lead stearate, so no separate link is placed here.

5. Dibasic lead phthalate#

Dibasic lead phthalate (CAS 69011-06-9) is a basic lead salt of phthalic acid that was used in heat-resistant PVC cable insulation. Despite the name, it is a salt of phthalic acid, not a phthalate plasticizer, and it plays no role in PVC flexibility. This page is the site's record for dibasic lead phthalate; it has no dedicated substance page. It was added to the SVHC Candidate List on 19 December 2012 (EC 273-688-5) and was recommended for Annex XIV inclusion in 2019, though it was never added.

6. Tetrabasic lead sulfate#

Tetrabasic lead sulfate (CAS 12065-90-6) is listed by ECHA's plastic-additives mapping as a PVC heat stabilizer at a typical 2 wt%, although most of its registered tonnage goes into lead-acid battery paste. Its REACH registration band covers 100,000 to 1,000,000 t/y, and the harmonised CLP classification, together with the exact share of that tonnage that goes into PVC, is not established. It was recommended neither for Annex XIV in 2019 nor listed under the standard TBLS abbreviation; the trade shorthand "4BLS" appears informally in the literature. Registration and battery use are detailed on tetrabasic lead sulfate.

What Are the Advantages and Disadvantages of Lead Stabilizers?#

Lead stabilizers give PVC very long heat stability and high electrical resistivity, but they offer weaker early colour than tin, add density, cannot be used in food contact and are classified as toxic for reproduction. That combination of strengths and weaknesses explains both why lead dominated rigid PVC for decades and why the EU has removed it from new production.

Competing vendor claims of "excellent light stability", "low water absorption" or "most cost-effective" for lead stabilizers are not supported by sourced data in our source library, so this page does not repeat them; likewise, no verified cost comparison between lead and its replacements exists here.

Where Are Lead Stabilizers Used in PVC?#

Lead stabilizers were used mainly in 3 PVC applications: rigid pipes and fittings, window and building profiles, and wire and cable insulation, all of them rigid or cable-grade PVC rather than flexible film or sheet.

Rigid PVC pipes and fittings#

Rigid PVC pipes and fittings are a main use of lead stabilizers, and lead one-packs with TBLS remain in use for pipe outside the EU, while European pipe makers switched to calcium-based systems and US pipe runs on methyltin. Pipes and fittings account for about 75 % of PVC consumption in India, according to Platinum Industries, one of the region's stabilizer producers, and lead-based grades still supply part of that market even as lead-free trials expand. In the United States, pressure pipe is stabilized with methyltin mercaptides dosed at 0.3 to 1.0 phr, the range set out in Plastics Pipe Institute technical report PPI TR-2. Pipe formulations by region are compared under stabilizers for PVC pipes.

Window profiles and building products#

Window profiles and other outdoor building products used lead stabilizers such as DBLP for weathering and long-term heat stability, and old lead-stabilized profiles are now the main source of lead in recycled PVC. EU profile extrusion has since moved to calcium-zinc and calcium-organic one-packs, while US siding and window profiles run on butyltin mercaptide stabilizers such as Thermolite 137. Because profiles have a service life measured in decades, the lead compounded into them years ago is still entering the recycling stream today. Ca-based and tin one-packs for profiles are on stabilizers for PVC window profiles.

Wire and cable insulation#

Wire and cable insulation used lead stabilizers because the lead chloride they form does not ionize in the compound, which keeps the volume resistivity of PVC insulation high. Cable specifications group heat resistance into temperature classes of 70, 90, 100/105 and 125 °C, a system Reagens uses in its cable product literature, and lead compounds such as TBLS, DBLS and dibasic lead phthalate were the historical standard for meeting those classes. Calcium-zinc systems have since replaced lead in EU cable compounds, but they need added hydrotalcite or zeolite together with polyols to reach the same volume-resistivity and heat-ageing targets, according to Baerlocher's cable formulation guidance. Temperature classes and lead-free cable systems are set out in full on stabilizers for PVC cables.

Flame retardants and fillers for cable are covered under additives for wire and cable compounds, the broader package cable compounds draw on beyond stabilization alone.

How Much Lead Stabilizer Does PVC Contain?#

Lead-stabilized PVC contains about 0.05 to 5 % lead by weight, according to Wiesinger and colleagues at ETH Zürich (2024), within a total stabilizer level of 1 to 5 % of the formulation. That range reflects the difference between light-duty applications, which need only a small stabilizing dose, and heavy-wall pipe or cable insulation, which is formulated toward the higher end for long service life.

Three published reference values frame lead stabilizer levels:

• 0.05 to 5 wt% lead in PVC for heat stabilization, reported by Wiesinger, Fantke and colleagues at ETH Zürich, "Lead and Other Legacy Additives in Recycled PVC", Environmental Science and Technology 58 (2024) 1894.
• 2 wt% tetrabasic lead sulfate as a typical PVC dose, from ECHA's plastic-additives mapping exercise.
• 1 to 5 % total stabilizer content in any PVC formulation, published by ECVM.

Product-level dosage in phr for TBLS, DBLP, DBLS or lead one-packs is not established in our source library, so this page does not publish a per-product figure; unsourced vendor claims of "1.5 to 3 %" circulating in the market are excluded for the same reason. Convert between phr and weight percent with PHR (parts per hundred resin).

How Is Lead-Stabilized PVC Tested?#

Lead-stabilized PVC is tested in 2 ways: for heat stability, by Congo red and oven-ageing tests, and for lead content, by X-ray fluorescence screening and laboratory analysis.

Heat stability: Congo red and oven tests#

The heat stability of lead-stabilized PVC is measured with the Congo red test (ISO 182-1:1990), which times how long a heated sample takes to release enough HCl to change the colour of an indicator paper. The standard itself does not fix a single test temperature; laboratories typically run it at 180 °C or 190 °C depending on the study. Static oven ageing, run at a comparable 180 °C, measures time to visible discoloration directly rather than through an HCl indicator; Jiang and colleagues, Materials 13 (2020), illustrate how much longer oven time to blackening can run compared with Congo red time on a hydrotalcite and zinc test system, an illustration of the method's sensitivity rather than a lead-specific data point. Test conditions across methods are compared on PVC heat stability testing.

How is lead detected in PVC?#

Lead in PVC is detected by X-ray fluorescence (XRF) screening, which checks compounds and finished articles against the 0.1 % thresholds of REACH entry 63 and RoHS. Wiesinger and colleagues at ETH Zürich (2024) screened 151 new PVC floorings sold in Switzerland and found that 16 % contained regulated substances above 0.1 wt%, mainly legacy lead and DEHP carried over from recycled PVC content. XRF and complementary wet-chemical methods are described under RoHS screening of plastics.

Where Are Lead Stabilizers Still Used Today?#

Lead stabilizers are still used in parts of Asia, Africa and Latin America, where they held about a quarter of the global PVC heat-stabilizer market in 2023, while EU producers completed their replacement at the end of 2015.

The EU's own replacement is well documented by tonnage: the European Stabiliser Producers Association (ESPA) reports EU-15 lead stabilizer use falling from 127,156 t in 2000 to 61,052 t in 2008 and 30,708 t in 2010, with EU-27 use down to about 14,000 t by 2014 before ESPA members completed replacement at the end of 2015. VinylPlus reported in June 2023 that calcium-zinc and calcium-organic systems together made up 83 % of EU stabilizer use. That EU-side replacement does not mean lead-stabilized PVC has left the European market entirely; the regulation's own recital states that about 90 % of EU lead emissions from PVC articles in 2016 came from imported articles rather than from EU production.

Are Lead Stabilizers Banned?#

Yes, in the EU in practice: since 29 November 2024, PVC articles may not be placed on the market if they contain 0.1 % or more lead by weight of the PVC, under REACH Annex XVII entry 63 as amended by Commission Regulation (EU) 2023/923. Outside the EU and California, no ban of comparable scope is established in our source library. The full legal analysis of entry 63, including its derogations and enforcement, belongs to lead in PVC; this section covers only the dated facts.

EU: lead in PVC below 0.1 % from 29 November 2024#

Commission Regulation (EU) 2023/923 of 3 May 2023 limits lead to below 0.1 % by weight of the PVC material in all PVC articles placed on the EU market from 29 November 2024, whatever function the lead serves. The restriction covers lead used as a stabilizer, as a pigment carrier or in any other role, and it applies prospectively: PVC articles that were already placed on the market before 29 November 2024 are exempt. Several product categories fall outside entry 63 because they are governed by other EU legislation instead: food-contact materials under Regulation (EC) No 1935/2004, electrical and electronic equipment under RoHS Directive 2011/65/EU, packaging under Directive 94/62/EC and toys under Directive 2009/48/EC. One narrow exemption runs even longer: PVC-silica separators in lead-acid batteries may contain lead until 28 May 2033. Entry 63 sits next to entries 23 and 51 among the REACH Annex XVII restrictions on plastic additives, the article's companion reference for the full restriction list. The legal text, derogations and deadlines behind entry 63 are analysed in depth on lead in PVC.

Recycled PVC: the 1.5 % derogation until 2033#

Recovered rigid PVC may still contain up to 1.5 % lead until 28 May 2033, but only in 6 listed building and pipe uses and only when the article is marked "Contains ≥ 0,1 % lead". The 6 uses permitted for recovered rigid PVC with that derogation are listed below.

• External building profiles and sheets.
• Decking profiles, where the recovered PVC sits in an intermediate layer covered by material containing less than 0.1 % lead.
• Hidden or inaccessible building voids.
• Interior building uses with a covering layer over the recovered material.
• Multilayer pipes for non-drinking-water use, with the recovered PVC in a covered middle layer.
• Fittings for non-drinking-water pipes.

From 28 May 2026, a closed-loop condition applies to this derogation, and the European Commission must review it by 28 May 2028 ahead of its 2033 end date. A related derogation for recovered flexible PVC ended earlier, on 28 May 2025, and the official text sets no lead cap for that shorter window. Restabilization and sorting practices for recycled PVC are covered separately.

SVHC and Annex XIV status of lead stabilizers#

The 5 lead stabilizer compounds and the C16-18 lead-salt group were added to the REACH Candidate List on 19 December 2012 as toxic for reproduction, and none was ever placed on the Annex XIV authorisation list, because the EU regulated lead in PVC through a restriction instead.

ECHA's 9th Annex XIV recommendation, published 21 October 2019, covered 7 lead compounds by name, including dioxobis(stearato)trilead, the C16-18 lead salts and [phthalato(2-)]dioxotrilead, but not TBLS or tetrabasic lead sulfate; none of the 7 was ultimately added to Annex XIV, because the European Commission chose to regulate lead in PVC through the entry 63 restriction rather than through authorisation. Every lead entry on this page's compound list also appears on our SVHC Candidate List, and lead chromate, not any of the 6 stabilizer compounds, is the lead substance that reached the REACH Annex XIV authorisation list.

Proposition 65 and other rules outside the EU#

In California, lead stabilizers fall under Proposition 65, which has listed lead and lead compounds as carcinogens since 1 October 1992 and lead as a reproductive toxicant since 27 February 1987, under the state's current chemical list of 31 July 2026. Warning-label rules that follow from that listing are explained under Proposition 65. Two EU instruments also touch lead in PVC outside entry 63: the Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (EU) 2025/40, Article 5(4), caps the sum of lead, cadmium, mercury and hexavalent chromium in packaging at 100 mg/kg from 12 August 2026, and RoHS Directive 2011/65/EU, Annex II, caps lead at 0.1 % in homogeneous materials of electrical and electronic equipment, so PVC cable used inside EEE is governed by RoHS and plastic additives rather than by entry 63. FDA and TSCA status for lead stabilizers, and national rules in markets such as India and China, are not established in our source library and are not stated here.

Hazard classification of lead stabilizers#

Lead stabilizers are classified as toxic for reproduction category 1A (H360Df) and as causing organ damage through prolonged exposure (H372/H373), and most are also very toxic to aquatic life. PubChem's aggregated notifications for tribasic lead sulfate record H360Df, H372/H373 and aquatic toxicity hazards (H400/H410); notifications for dibasic lead phosphite add H228, H302+H332 and H350/H351, and notifications for lead distearate add H302, H332, H351, H360, H362, H373, H400 and H410. These are notified classifications drawn from PubChem's aggregated GHS data rather than a single harmonised CLH entry for every compound, and the harmonised entry for tetrabasic lead sulfate is not established. Harmonized versus notified classification entries are explained under CLP classification of plastic additives.

What Replaces Lead Stabilizers in PVC?#

Lead stabilizers are replaced by 3 systems: calcium-zinc and calcium-organic stabilizers, which make up 83 % of EU stabilizer use, organotin (tin mercaptide) stabilizers, which dominate rigid PVC in North America, and heavy-metal-free organic-based stabilizers (OBS). Converters switching from lead should requalify each formulation for heat stability, colour and, for cable, volume resistivity, because no replacement copies lead's exact performance profile.

Download the PVC Stabilizer Selection Guide: lead vs calcium-zinc vs tin vs OBS, compared by application.

Lead vs calcium-zinc stabilizers#

Calcium-zinc stabilizers replace lead in EU pipe, profile and cable because they reach comparable performance once co-stabilizers such as hydrotalcite and polyols suppress the zinc burning that lead never showed. Zinc carboxylate contributes good early colour, but it forms zinc chloride, a strong Lewis acid that can trigger sudden "zinc burning" if left unchecked. Calcium carboxylate offsets that risk: it scavenges HCl and regenerates the zinc soap through the reaction ZnCl2 plus Ca(OOCR)2 giving Zn(OOCR)2 plus CaCl2. Commercial calcium-zinc packages add beta-diketones, polyols, hydrotalcite or zeolite, epoxides and phosphites to complete the stabilization system, and cable-grade calcium-zinc systems need hydrotalcite or zeolite together with polyols specifically to reach the volume-resistivity targets lead once met by default. One documented tradeoff remains: calcium-based dryblends run about 2 % lower in density than lead-stabilized compounds, according to Baerlocher. Grades and co-stabilizer packages for this class are on calcium-zinc stabilizers.

Lead vs organotin stabilizers#

Organotin stabilizers outperform lead in early colour and transparency because they replace labile chlorine atoms directly, which is why US pressure pipe uses methyltin mercaptides at 0.3 to 1.0 phr under PPI TR-2. That direct chlorine substitution, rather than HCl neutralisation alone, is what gives tin systems their colour and clarity advantage over lead and calcium-zinc alike. Methyltin mercaptide is not an SVHC and is not covered by entry 20 of REACH Annex XVII; for food-contact use it carries an EU 10/2011 group 9 specific migration limit of 0.18 mg/kg as tin, and FDA regulation 21 CFR 178.2010 permits methyltin at up to 2 wt% in rigid PVC. Methyltin, butyltin and octyltin grades are compared on organotin stabilizers. FDA and EU limits for the compound itself are on methyltin mercaptide.

Organic-based stabilizers and co-stabilizers#

Organic-based stabilizers (OBS) are heavy-metal-free uracil compounds, introduced by Crompton around 1999, that replace lead in pipe, conduit and profiles. Uracil chemistry and the full grade range are covered under organic-based stabilizers (OBS). Crompton, later folded into Galata Chemicals, built the line into 3 series: the 200 series for pipe, the 300 series for rigid injection molding and the 500 series for conduit and profiles. Trade-press testing reported in Plastics Technology (2005) found that OBS resists torque rise longer than lead or calcium-zinc systems and retains most of its stability after 5 reprocessing passes. Polyols, beta-diketones and phosphites that support both OBS and calcium-zinc systems are listed under PVC co-stabilizers. Hydrotalcite (CAS 12304-65-3), first reported as a PVC HCl absorber in the 1980s, works by exchanging its interlayer carbonate for chloride, and Kisuma markets its ALCAMIZER line specifically for lead-free and tin-replacement systems; CAS and food-contact data for the substance are on hydrotalcite.

Who Supplies Lead-Free PVC Stabilizers?#

Lead-free PVC stabilizers come from Baerlocher, Reagens, Galata Chemicals, Valtris, PMC Organometallix and Platinum Industries, with Kisuma supplying hydrotalcite co-stabilizers.

Plants and product lines for the full stabilizer market are compared in the directory of PVC stabilizer manufacturers and suppliers. Indian producers moving toward lead-free systems, alongside those still supplying lead-based grades, are listed under plastic additive manufacturers in India; Platinum Industries in particular continues to sell both lead-based and lead-free lines. Buyers replacing lead should compare stabilizers by system, calcium-zinc, calcium-organic, tin or OBS, and by the approvals their end use needs, such as NSF/ANSI 61 for drinking-water pipe.

Replacing lead? Request quotes for calcium-zinc, calcium-organic, tin or OBS stabilizers by application (pipe, profile or cable), volume and country with the plastic additive supplier finder.

What Other Heavy-Metal Additives Were Used in PVC?#

Lead was one of 2 heavy metals used to stabilize PVC, next to cadmium, and lead also entered PVC as a pigment through lead chromate yellows and oranges. Recycled PVC carries the legacy of both routes: Wiesinger and colleagues (2024) found legacy lead alongside legacy DEHP in Swiss PVC flooring made with recycled content. Both metals, and the additives that carried them, are tracked more broadly under legacy additives in recycled plastic.

Cadmium stabilizers#

Cadmium stabilizers, mostly barium-cadmium systems, left EU PVC in 2001 under the Vinyl 2010 voluntary commitment, and REACH entry 23 now limits cadmium in PVC to below 0.01 %. That entry 23 limit took legal effect for articles placed on the market from 10 December 2011, under Regulation (EU) No 494/2011, and a separate recovered-PVC derogation permits up to 0.1 % cadmium in the same listed rigid building uses that apply to lead.

Lead chromate pigments#

Lead chromate pigments are not stabilizers, but they bring lead into PVC too, so the entry 63 limit of 0.1 % lead applies to them as well. Lead chromate yellow (PY34) and lead chromate molybdate orange (PR104) were added to the SVHC Candidate List on 13 January 2010 and reached REACH Annex XIV, entries 10 to 12, with a sunset date of 21 May 2015. The pigment's own authorisation history is on lead chromate.

Does PVC pipe contain lead?#

New PVC pipe sold in the EU contains less than 0.1 % lead, and US pressure pipe is stabilized with tin, but PVC pipe made with lead stabilizers is still produced in parts of Asia, Africa and Latin America, and recycled rigid PVC in non-drinking-water pipe may contain up to 1.5 % lead until 2033. No leaching or drinking-water safety data for lead-stabilized pipe is established in our source library, so this answer covers composition only.

Can lead-stabilized PVC be used for food contact?#

No lead stabilizer is on the EU 10/2011 Union list, and the regulation requires lead migration from plastic food-contact materials to be non-detectable. This follows from Annex I, which does not list any of the 6 lead compounds, and Annex II, which sets a non-detectable limit for lead. Full Union-list and Annex II metal limits are on EU 10/2011.

Are lead stabilizers still used in the United States?#

Rarely in rigid PVC: tin stabilizers are used for almost all rigid PVC in North America, according to Baerlocher, and lead compounds fall under Proposition 65 in California. That combination, tin's dominance in rigid formulations and Proposition 65's warning requirements, leaves little commercial room for lead stabilizers in current US rigid PVC production.

What are the most common stabilizers used in PVC?#

Calcium-based stabilizers are the most common PVC stabilizers: they account for 83 % of stabilizer use in the EU and about half of global use, ahead of lead (25.1 %) and tin (15.4 %), according to VinylPlus for the EU figure and to Wikipedia's market summary for the 2023 global split.