A recent article published by Poly Pipe News examines how plastic-pipe manufacturers manipulated industry perceptions of safety and reliability. While it focuses on plastic manufacturers defending polybutylene (PB) piping failures, it levels criticisms that should apply to all plastic manufacturers who use aggressive marketing and selective data presentation to promote their products.
The article describes a primary strategy employed by plastic pipe industry groups as “cherry-picking data” and through “blatant misrepresentation” of legal and scientific findings to minimize perceptions of risk. One example: the Polybutylene Piping Systems Association promoted a selective narrative regarding PB pipe failures, focusing almost exclusively on a single lawsuit favorable to their position while downplaying or ignoring liabilities exposed by many other lawsuits.
Our research has found other plastic plumbing advocates using similar tactics, for example, trying to shape perceptions of resilience by minimizing unfavorable characteristics such as chemical vulnerability, describing them as “generally resistant to attack from many chemicals.” In addition, IAPMO documents have discussed whether pipe manufacturers tried to create a misleading sense of fire safety by directing test labs to “modify mounting methods, supports and test specimen dimensions to achieve results that are in compliance with the 25/50 benchmarks the code requires.”
The Poly Pipe News article concludes that a lack of transparency from some plastic pipe advocates and marketers has real safety, legal, and financial implications. They warn that “contractors, homeowners, and municipalities relying on industry-provided information may make decisions based on an incomplete picture, potentially leading to costly failures and repairs.” Their call to action: “It’s time for plastic pipe industry groups to embrace transparency and acknowledge both the strengths and weaknesses of their products… The construction and plumbing industries deserve better than cherry-picked data and half-truths.”