Toxicological studies of photosensitizer agents and photodegradable polyolefins.

Abstract

The authors report the results of a series of toxicological tests conducted on plastic materials (polyethylene) activated with tetraphenylbutadiene (TPB) an additive recently proposed as a sensitizer capable of photodegrading plastic materials. The toxic effects of polyethylene, TPB, and TPB's degradation products were investigated in rabbits, mice and rats. The studies revealed these products to possess a very low toxicity.