Is PVA Safe?Updated 2 months ago

A lot of research has been done on PVA and while more can always be done, the EPA includes it, along with other ingredients in our products, in their “safer choice” list at the highest level of safety “verified to be of low concern based on experimental and modeled data.”

PVA dissolves entirely in water and is broken down in the environment both when it is consumed by bacteria and when it is hit by UV light from the sun. In some environments, this breakdown is very fast (like at wastewater treatment plants) while in colder environments with few bacteria it can take much longer to break down.

Because it can persist in the environment for a while, it’s important that scientists have tested whether it can have negative impacts on people or the environment. PVA is not fat soluble, does not accumulate in animal tissues, and has not been found to have impacts on animals at levels found in the environment. Given this safety profile, it has come to be commonly used in children’s craft glue and toys, eye drops, and pill casings.