NEW: A Uni-Bell PVC Pipe Association official has a rebuttal to the Beyond Plastics report covered in this story. Read the detailed update here. Bennington, Vt.-based Beyond Plastics, a nonprofit ...

PVC pipe is one of the most common and popular options for providing communities and homes with clean, safe drinking water.

A report warning cities against the use of PVC pipes in water systems sparked swift and resounding criticism from the plastics industry, its advocates and at least one leading scientific expert.