American Public Health Association urged a reduction in use of PVC in hospitals and schools

(Plastics Today) -- Polyvinyl chloride (PVC) has been a major target of the environmental activist group Greenpeace for at least 20 years, dating to activism by chemist Michael Braungart. The focal point of Greenpeace was dioxins. The Vinyl Institute was formed in 1982 because of health-related attacks on PVC pipe by the steel industry. Since then PVC has been under attack for questions surrounding vinyl chloride monomer and phthalate plasticizers.


Last week new problems emerged. The American Public Health Association (APHA) urged a reduction in use of PVC in hospitals and schools. Also last week, an advocacy group called Clean and Healthy New York released a report questioning the safety of chemicals such as PVC used in 72 mattress models on sale in the United States.


For Allen Blakey, vice president of industry and government affairs at the The Vinyl Institute (Arlington, VA), it was a bad week. "I had sensed that direct attacks on vinyl had tapered off in the past couple years until last week," Blakey said in an interview with PlasticsToday.com yesterday. "Why? PVC continues to prove its cost-effectiveness in myriad applications, including many high-value applications (material of choice for blood bags, medical tubing, tamper-resistant packaging, electrical wire insulation, pipe delivering drinking water, etc.)," Blakey said in a follow-up email.


Blakey says that officials at APHA never called The Vinyl Institute to check their facts and get perspective. As a result, there were some statements in the APHA resolution that were outright wrong. Lead and cadmium, for example, are no longer used as stabilizers in PVC. He also faults the APHA for making no mention of what he describes as a positive review of phthalate plasticizers by industry groups where they didn't find actual problems despite more than 60 years of use.


MRC

German Ticona added to its range a new high-tech POM

(PlastEurope) -- With ⌠Hostaform ⌠XT20, German plastics producer Ticona has added to its range a new high-tech POM that it says ⌠sets a new scale for cold impact- and fuel-resistance and extends the polymer's possibilities into regions previously open only to impact-resistant modified PA 11/12.


The extrudable polymer is designed in particular for pipes and hoses used in such automotive applications as protective sleeves of hand brake cables and elastic shafts of seat adjusters or sun roofs. It is also claimed to hold promise in applications such as fuel lines, pneumatic braking systems, clutches, air-conditioning and power steering.


Ticona says the third-generation Hostaform product exhibits burst strength and impact toughness that meet most of the requirements set for technical pipe applications, including greater low-temperature impact strength and improved chemical resistance as well as low water absorption, excellent mechanical and tribological properties.


MRC

Nigeria to become a net-exporter of polyethylene and polypropylene

(Plastemart) -- Nigeria has become a net-exporter of polymers like polyethylene a(PE) and polypropylene (PP), courtesy Indorama-Eleme Petrochemicals Company Limited (EPCL). The polymers are being exported to various countries in Europe, Asia, and parts of Africa. Since EPCL was privatized in 2006, it has been producing various grades of PE and PP, and accounts for 10% of Nigeria's non oil exports.


MRC

In China prices of benzene and xylenes to weaken

(ICIS) -- Spot prices of benzene and xylenes in the domestic Chinese market look set to weaken, as supply will increase once a huge aromatics facility at Huizhou in Guangdong province resumes operations, while demand is still weak, market sources said on Tuesday.


The facility owned and operated by China National Offshore Oil Corp Oil (CNOOC) subsidiary, CNOOC Oil & Petrochemicals, is the country's second biggest aromatics plant. It is expected to come back on stream in the middle of the month after an outage of about four months. The facility can produce 350,000 tonnes/year of benzene, 220,000 tonnes/year of toluene and 900,000 tonnes/year of xylenes, a company source said. The company is also expected to resume operations at its 850,000 tonne/year paraxylene (PX) plant at the site at around the same time.


With more supply coming into the market amid soft demand, spot prices of aromatics products are likely to come off, market sources said.


MRC

European ethylene cracker margins fell to the lowest level since April

(ICIS) -- Contract ethylene cracker margins based on naphtha feedstock have fallen to the lowest level since April on a combination of a lower November contract price, firmer naphtha prices and the strength of the US dollar against the euro, ICIS margin analysis showed on Monday. Contract margins fell by 30%, dropping ┬162/tonne ($222/tonne) week-on-week because of a 4% rise in feedstock costs.


A slight rise in naphtha values was magnified by a 3% strengthening of the US dollar.
Spot margins fared a little better, supported by higher spot ethylene euro-based prices and co-product credits. However, spot margins remain significantly below contract margins, at a ┬347/tonne disadvantage.


The November ethylene contract settled at ┬1,095/tonne FD (free delivered) NWE (northwest Europe), down ┬20/tonne from October.


MRC