AbstractThe inorganic salts of lead were the first materials proposed for use as vinyl stabilizers, and even though newer families of materials have been developed, lead salts continue to fill an important role in vinyl stabilization. They are irreplaceable in the manufacture of electrical insulation for high‐temperature use and are still considered among the most powerful of stabilizer types. Cadmium organic salts, as part of complex barium‐cadmium‐zinc systems, have proven indispensible in the manufacture of vinyl compounds requiring a combination of outstanding heat and light stability. The move in Detroit towards the manufacture of lighter, more fuel‐efficient automobiles would be difficult without the use of plastics, including some of the more sophisticated vinyl compounds stabilized with barium cadmium‐zinc com