Risk-free plasticisers for sensitive applications

A variety of plasticisers are now available in response to the expanding and more complex requirements of processors. Phthalates, for instance, are obtained as a compound of phthalic anhydride with various alcohols. The properties of the resulting ester depend mainly on the choice of alcohol. The uses of phthalates include almost all products made from soft PVC such as floor coverings, films, cable insulations, truck tarpaulins or insulating and sealing compounds. Soft PVC, with its wide range of properties, is especially suitable for a large number of applications. It is resistant, for example, to harsh weather conditions and to sunlight. It is easy to process and insensitive to cold. Aside from phthalates, there are adipates which are esters of adipic acid, and are suitable as plasticisers for PVC and other plastics, especially if these have to be soft and flexible at sub-zero temperatures. These are ideal for food contact applications, and are frequently used in conjunction with polymer plasticisers for food film packaging. Polymeric plasticisers are esters of adipic acid with multivalent alcohols and are often used for tubing and foils, also with food contact. The list could go on and on as manufacturers come up with new products to meet diverse processing needs. In 2007, the European Union (EU) issued a regulation restricting the use of certain additives from the plasticisers group that come in contact with food. The regulations prompted plasticisers manufacturers to develop new products in line with the regulation. Sustainable plasticisers in toys and medical products BASF has been vigorously pursuing the broad - based research project "Sustainable plasticisers" with the target to develop alternative plasticisers for sensitive applications, such as toys and products for children. The company's Hexamoll® DINCH is an innovative plasticiser that provides toy manufacturers with an ideal solution to adapting their products to the requirements of the EU regulation. Leaving out plasticisers completely isn't possible. Without them, PVC is brittle and snaps like a dry noodle. Like the boiling water that softens the pasta, the chemical additives in PVC act like a lubricant between the molecule chains of the polymer and make the plastic as soft and supple as is required for the intended application. "From the start Hexamoll® DINCH was subject to a large number of toxicological tests. In total €5 million have been spent on toxicological testing, making Hexamoll® DINCH", explains BASF toxicologist and product safety expert Dr. Rainer Otter. "All tests confirmed the excellent toxicological profile of Hexamoll® DINCH, underlining its exceptional suitability for sensitive applications. " Furthermore, Hexamoll® DINCH is also remarkable for its extremely low migration rate - the amount of plasticiser molecules released by the plastic into a surrounding medium - that has also been confirmed during comprehensive tests by the Fraunhofer-Institute for Process Engineering and Packaging. Hexamol l ® DINCH i s thus the plasticiser of choice for use in many medical devices where the plastic is in close contact with products which directly enter the patient's body. Enteral nutrition administered via stomach tube, for example, involves the use of bags and tubes made of soft PVC. Pfrimmer- Nutricia (Numico), one of the largest manufacturers of such feeding sets, has switched its production completely to Hexamoll® DINCH in 2005. "In view of the concerns surrounding some plasticisers, we wanted to be the first in our sector to completely eliminate these substances and further improve patient safety," explains Dagmar Dehler of the marketing department of the medical devices manufacturer. "The race for risk-free plasticisers goes beyond the toys and medical products" SNike Jordan Super Fly 4