Rubber improving safety

Synthetic rubber latex was made by a process with a large and hazardous inventory of butadiene and styrene. In a modified process, the reactor has an initial charge of water and emulsifier. Also, the monomers are added to the reactor as one premixed stream and the emulsified aqueous sodium persulfate is added as the other stream. The improved scheme, discussed by Englund (1991a) contains less hazardous material and at a lower, more controllable temperature. It illustrates that large and established processes may be made safer by applying inherent safety. 

A-l,3-dimethylbutyl-A -phenyl quinone diimine (6QD1) has been introduced as a multifunctional additive for diene rubbers and provides an advantage in mixing characteristics (functions as peptizer and improves scorch safety) as well as improved performance (better antioxidant activity than paraphenylenediamine antidegradants) of the end products [36]. 

Originally, equipment was made largely from wood or gun-metal and often rubber lined. These materials give the lowest hazards from friction with explosives. Nowadays, improved standards of engineering and of design have made it possible to employ stainless steel and plastics in the construction of explosive machinery with considerable increase in mechanical efficiency. In this way not only can processes be carried out more rapidly, but the quantity of explosive present at any time is reduced, with consequent increase in overall safety. 

It wasn t until 1874 that the first truly modem bicycle appeared on the scene. Invented by another Englishman, H. J. Lawson, the safety bicycle would look familiar to today s cyclists. The safety bicycle had equal-sized wheels, which made it much less prone to toppling over. Lawson also attached a chain to the pedals to drive the rear wheel. By 1893, the safety bicycle had been further improved with air-filled rubber tires, a diamond-shaped frame, and easy braking. With the improvements provided by Lawson, bicycles became extremely popular and useful for transportation. Today, they are built, used, and enjoyed all over the world. 

Details are given of aBrite-Euram project which is aimed at meeting health, safety and environmental requirements in the European rubber industry through the development of improved formulations. Participants in the four year project, which began in September 1997, include 14... 

Safety Considerations. You should always wear safety glasses. Because most cleaning compounds can be drying to the skin, it would be wise to wear rubber gloves. Also, wearing gloves allows the use of hotter water. Hot water can facilitate and improve the cleaning action of most cleaners. 

The objective of this chapter is to provide a comprehensive overview of the use of rubber as a food contact material, from an initial description of the types of rubber and rubber products that are used in the industry, through the formulation of products, and the contact regulations and migration testing regimes, to the research that is on-going to improve its safety and the trends for the future. 

Improving the safety of rubber as a food contact material... 

Managers are under constant pressure to increase production, improve efficiencies, enhance quality, and beat safety and environmental records. All this generally has to be done without employing more people, equipment or investment capital. Therefore, these managers must stretch the organization. But, if the organization is stretched too far a major failure will occur— the rubber band snaps. 

It is characteristic that traditional industries which maintain older plants (metal fabrications, polymer fiber, rubber plastics, wood furniture, organic chemicals) contribute more to releases and transfers of solvents (as measured by releases plus transfers per 1000 sales), than industries which invest capital in the improvement of equipment, safety, and research and development (e.g., printing, motor vehicle assembly). This suggests that the avoidance of cost of the required investment is one reason for pollution. This reason was illustrated in the discussion of the petroleum industry where one manufacturer almost eliminated pollution by fixing leaking valves. 

Gardziella, A., Pilato, L.A. and Knop, A., Phenolic Resins Chemistry, Applications, Standardization, Safety and Ecology, 2nd edn. Springer, Berlin, 2000, pp. 66-77. Encyclopedia of Polymer Science and Technology. Interscience, New York, 1969, v. 10. Semon, W.F., History and use of materials which improve aging. In Davis, C.C. and Blake, J.T. (Eds.), The Chemistry and Technology of Rubber, ACS Monograph Series No. 74. Reinhold, New York, 1937. 

---