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Lubrizol Introduces Aromatic Carbothane
TPUs
Cleveland, US-based manufacturer of medical plastics,
Lubrizol LifeScience Polymers, has launched eight new aromatic products. These
materials are an extension of the Carbothane line of PC-based Thermoplastic
Polyurethanes (TPUs) and are available in a range of grades and radiopacities.
The new aromatic Carbothane TPU is available in four clear
grades and four radiopaque grades, which include a 20% loading of Barium
Sulphate.
According to the company, aromatic Carbothane TPU has
stronger material, improved chemical resistance and increased resistance to
creep, compared with existing technologies. The products are suitable for
long-term implantation applications, including catheters and devices introduced
in the body for more than 30 days, and for permanent implants used in spinal and
orthopaedic applications.
Ref:
http://www.europeanplasticsnews.com/subscriber/
newscat2.html?cat=1&channel=130&id=2693
Makers Unite To Defend Medical Use of PVC
In December 2012 the French senate passed a law unilaterally
banning the use of tubes containing di (2- ethyhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) from
paediatric, neonatal and maternity wards. The ban will come into force on 1
July, 2015.
A plasticiser, DEHP is used to soften PVC. Blood bags made
from PVC contain typically 30-40% DEHP. Environmental campaigners have leapt on
reports from medical journals that suggested DEHP and phthalates in general
might be Endocrine Disruptors (EDs), chemicals that mimic human hormones,
causing damage to the male reproductive tract leading to decreased fertility.
In March 2012 the pressure group PVCfreeBloodBag, which is
funded by the European Commission through its EU Life+ initiative, released a
Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) of PVC blood bags. The LCA concluded that HDPE would
be a safer alternative and that “the PVC/DEHP choice has a substantially higher
potential impact on human health, both with regards to the overall life cycle
impact and with regards to the potential health impact caused by DEHP
contamination in the transfused blood”.
In July 2012, the European Council of Vinyl Manufacturers (ECVM)
released a critical review of the LCA. Prof Adisa Azapagic from Manchester
University, UK, was commissioned for the review and he found the LCA lacked
consistency with recognised ISO standards, used unscientific methods and was
based on “unclear, inconsistent and in some cases unjustifiable, misleading and
biased” assumptions. He concluded: “The goal of this LCA study appears to be
motivated by a desire to phase out PVC blood bags, regardless of the actual LCA
results and therefore the results of the study should be interpreted with the
above in mind.”
ECVM claims that there is currently no viable plastic
material that could be used to replace PVC which has been used for manufacturing
blood bags for over 50 years. The PVCDEHP combination has proven itself highly
suitable for the manufacture of blood bags because DEHP stabilizes red blood
cells, minimising hemolysis (the rupturing of red blood cells).
Alternatives to DEHP include adipate plasticisers,
Butyryltrihexylcitrate (BTHC), Cyclohexane-1,2-dicarboxylic acid,
diisononylester (Hexamoll DINCH), Di(2- ethylhexyl)terephthalate (Eastman 168),
polymerics and trimellitic acid, 2-ethylhexylester (TOTM).
Hexamoll DINCH (diisononylester) is used in enteral
nutrition, for medical tubing systems and in pediatric applications, especially
in platelet bags. Migration of Hexamoll DINCH has been shown to be about 10-fold
lower when compared to DEHP.
Also, TOTM (tri-2ethylhexyl trimellitate) has been used in
medical tubing for enteral nutrition products for a few years. TOTM has an
excellent migration profile utperforming DEHP with regards to the permanence of
the plasticiser.
Ref:
http://www.europeanplasticsnews.com/subscriber/
newscat2.html?cat=1&channel=130&id=2586
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