Rubber

Description

Table of Selected polymers belonging to this polymer class (links are for CAMEO pages)

Polymer name	Properties of Concern
Rubber, natural	Vulcanized rubber may emit sulfur fumes that will tarnish metals and stain organic materials
Polybutadiene (Buna)	Compounded with a wide variety of materials
Polystyrene	Compounded with a wide variety of materials
Nitrile rubber (NBR)	Some NBR are blended with PVC and contain chloride
Styrene-butadiene rubber (SBR)	Tendency to crawl; Compounded with a wide variety of materials
Acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS)	Compounded with a wide variety of materials
Ethylene propylene rubber (EPR)
Ethylene propylene diene (EPDM)	May be crosslinked with other products with sulfur vulcanization
Butyl rubber (Isoprene)
Neoprene (Polychloroprene)	Chlorinated, may off-gas acids
Polysulfide	May contain PCB’s, can cause damage to metals when in contact with stainless and carbon steels
Polyurethane (Spandex)	Problematic class of materials
Silicone Rubber	Off-gassing depends on the initial curing system, platinum based cures have no offgassing; condensation cures can produce acid, neutral or basic chemicals during curing; peroxide cures can produce ketones or chlorinated aromatic chemicals as the material ages and breaks down.

Applications

Personal Risks

Environmental Risks

Collection Risks

Working Properties

Resources and Citations

• Contributions: Molly McGrath