Teknor Apex Company has separated production of medical-grade PVC compounds containing DEHP and other phthalate plasticizers from that of compounds plasticized with non-phthalate alternatives, as the company's Vinyl Division will announce at MD&M West (Booth 2033). The changeover has taken place at two Teknor Apex compounding plants in the United States and could be carried out at the company's facility in Singapore if demand warrants, according to industry manager Peter M. Galland. DEHP is by far the most widely used plasticizer in medical-grade vinyl and the least expensive. The most well-studied plasticizers after DEHP, in terms of animal toxicology and other testing, are other phthalates, such as di-n-octyl phthalate, DIOP, DINP, DPHP, and DIDP. Compounds containing these are roughly 3% - 7% more expensive than DEHP-plasticized vinyl. Three of them-DINP, DPHP, and DIDP-are less water-extractable than DEHP and thus less prone to be absorbed into the bloodstream and contacted tissues.
Compounds containing non-phthalate plasticizers range from 10 to 35% more expensive than DEHP, with the exception of one, di-octyl terephthalate or DOTP, that is actually priced at a slight to nominal premium above DEHP. (In spite of its chemical name, DOTP is classed as a non-phthalate.). Besides higher cost, most non-phthalates pose performance tradeoffs in comparison with DEHP, particularly in regard to water extractability and tendency to exude, which can lead to surface tackiness. In addition, all of the non-phthalates have had limited use histories; hence human toxicology data is limited or lacking.
27-Jan-09 
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