Miscellaneous Organic Polymers

Abstract

Polymers are advanced materials composed of many repeating monomer units; organic polymers are polymers that essentially contain carbon atoms in the backbone. Significant volumes of organic polymers are manufactured each year. Plastic products manufactured from these polymers can be as simple as toilet seats and single‐use grocery bags, or as tough as bulletproof materials, space suits, chemical resistant gaskets, or as sophisticated as implantable medical devices. Key features of plastics are modified by the selection of the resins, the manufacturing processes, and the additives used. Plastics are divided up into three main groups: thermoplastics, thermosetting plastics, and elastomers. Exposure to monomers, polymers, resins, and plastics can occur during the initial polymerization and manufacturing of the resins, the subsequent polymerization and manufacturing of the plastics and finished products, during use of the finished product, and during the product's end‐of‐life stage. This chapter focuses on the human health hazard profile of several miscellaneous organic polymer resins used to form thermoplastics and thermosetting plastics. These polymers include phenolic resins, aminoplastic resins, furfuryl alcohol resins, polyvinylpyrrolidone resins, polybenzimidazole resins, and polylactic acid resins. Most of the plastics manufactured from these resins are resistant to biodegradation; however, a few can be biodegraded. In addition to the toxicology profiles, this chapter discusses production and use, potential exposures, hazard classification, sensitive applications such as food‐contact and medical applications, and exposure guidelines.