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| Posted on 4/24/08 at 10:58 AM | |
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Orthophalates have been used for several decades as the main plasticizers in PVC compounds. There are dozens of orthophthalates used today and they give different properties, e.g. cure speed, permanence and viscosity. PVC textile inks have been used by the screen printing industry for the last 20 years or so and these normally contain one of these orthophthalates. Now some of these plasticizers are being looked at by the European Governing bodies as potentially carcinogenic. Most of the evidence comes from a study done about ten or so years ago on laboratory rats, that caused liver and kidney tumors at high exposure levels. The study was done on Dioctyl Orthophthalate (also called 2-ethlyhexyl phthalate) or DOP. Most plastisol compounders like QCM company stopped using DOP many years ago when the study was first published. Strangely enough DOP is still required for use in many medical applications. This is a case of one technical body (the FDA) not agreeing with another technical body (the EPA). [Edited on 4/24/08 by QCMLabguy] | ||
 
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