Analysis of Vinylidene Chloride in Polyvinylidene Chloride Plastics by GC

Introduction

Residual organic solvents in food packaging materials are receiving attention due to the heightened concern for food safety and public health. Specific standards and specifications as well as testing methods are established for each type of material used in food packaging materials in Japan's "Food Sanitation Act- Section 3: Implements, Containers, and Packaging in the Standards and Criteria for Food and Food Additives, etc." Polyvinylidene chloride is a polymer that is transparent, displays excellent water resistance, chemical resistance, and gas-barrier properties, and is resistant to temperatures in the range of 140 to 170 °C. In addition to household wrapping film, it is used as a film for wrapping foods that have been heated to high temperatures. Vinylidene chloride is the monomer of polyvinylidene chloride, and long-term oral exposure is said to adversely affect the liver and kidney. Due to the possibility that vinylidene chloride may persist in products, polyvinylidene chloride material testing has been established as a separate standard in the Food Sanitation Act. This Application News introduces an example of analysis of vinylidene chloride in plastic with polyvinylidene chloride as its principal ingredient.

December 2, 2010 GMT