Analysis of Vinyl Chloride in Polyvinyl 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." Polyvinyl chloride, a transparent plastic, can be easily mixed with plasticizers to obtain a desired degree of flexibility depending on the compounding ratio. For that reason, it is used in a variety of applications, including food containers, wrapping films, and gloves. Vinyl chloride is the monomer of polyvinyl chloride, and is generated when polyvinyl chloride is subjected to thermal decomposition. Due to its widely-reported carcinogenicity, the concentration of vinyl chloride in materials is restricted in conjunction with material testing. This Application News introduces an example of analysis of vinyl chloride in plastic with polyvinyl chloride as its principal ingredient.

December 2, 2010 GMT