$A sectioned black plastic assembly with a row of metal-lined ports, showing a large irregular fractured opening and loose debris where material has broken away$

Testing & Analysis

Plastic Failure and Cleaning Products

By Dr. Duane Priddy Sr. · Published February 14, 2021

FORENSIC EVIDENCEPictured: A sectioned black plastic assembly with a row of metal-lined ports, showing a large irregular fractured opening and loose debris where material has broken away

FORENSIC EVIDENCE

Pictured: A sectioned black plastic assembly with a row of metal-lined ports, showing a large irregular fractured opening and loose debris where material has broken away

Most people assume that the surfaces of plastic parts and medical devices can be cleaned/disinfected using normal cleaning products. However, many cleaners contain aggressive chemicals that can cause catastrophic failure of plastic parts.

Chemical compatibility belongs to the specific polymer, not to plastics in general, so a cleaner that is harmless on one material can attack another. Aggressive solvents and surfactants are absorbed into the surface, where they soften the material, extract additives and lower the stress the part can carry before it cracks. Parts already under load fail first, which includes press fits, threaded joints and anything moulded with high residual stress.

CPVC chemical resistance and compatibility