NEWS US EPA prioritises VCM risks


The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced in December it has included vinyl chloride monomer (VCM) among five additional High Priority Substances prioritised for risk evaluation under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA). In a statement, the EPA said it and


the White House Council on Environ- mental Quality had raised serious concerns about the health impacts of vinyl chloride back in the 1970s and that these were the impetus for Congress for the “original” TSCA in 1976. It said VCM is a known carcino-


gen and referenced its presence in last year’s Norfolk Southern train derailment in East Palestine in Ohio. Prioritisation is the first step under


the EPA’s authority to regulate existing chemicals currently on the market and in use and to evaluate whether health and environmental protections are needed. If it determines that a chemical presents unreasonable risk to health or the environment, it must start the management process to take action to eliminate that risk. “The Agency’s prioritisation of vinyl chloride is no surprise to us because it


has been part of EPA’s work plan since 2012,” said Ned Monroe, President and CEO of industry association the Vinyl Institute. “As the Agency has noted, selection for prioritisation is not a finding that an unreasonable risk is presented, but the start of a multi-year review process to assess potential risks…We believe this risk evaluation will further assure that the production of vinyl chloride and use of PVC products are safe,” he said. �www.epa.gov �www.vinylinfo.org


Insight aims for 3D aesthetics with low gloss masterbatches


US -based Insight Polymers & Compounding has developed two new low gloss masterbatches for use in fused deposition modelling (FDM) 3D printing of PLA bioplastic. By reducing gloss, the Insight LAA112 Low Gloss PLA and Insight TCA112 Low Gloss PETG masterbatches are said to reduce the negative aesthetic caused by the layer-by-layer 3D print process. They are designed for use at additions of 10-30% and are said to have minimal to no impact on


Ford holds out olive branch


IMAGE: INSIGHT POLYMERS & COMPOUNDING


mechanical properties. “Additive manufacturing is now used for producing finished goods rather than prototypes for injection molds,” said AJ Pasquale, Insight Polymers Director of


Operations “So we facilitate that trend by producing masterbatches that make end-products more aestheti- cally acceptable to the customer.” � info@insightpolymers.com


Bio-composite plays its part


The curved façade pipes of the Rieger organ in the Helsinki Music Centre, which was played for its first public performance on New Year’s Day, are 3Dprinted in UPM’s Formi 3B wood-based biocomposite.


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UPM’s Formi 3D PLA/ cellulose fibre composites are said to be well suited to large scale 3D printing and provide the mechanical and acoustic performance required for this application. The Helsinki organ


COMPOUNDING WORLD | January/February 2024


incorporates 260m of 3Dprinted sounding pipes and wind lines. Providing 124 sound registers, it is said to be the largest modern concert hall organ operation in the world. �www.upm.com


Work carried out by engineers at Ford in Cologne in Germany as part of the EU-funded Life CompOlive project have indicated that plastic compounds reinforced with fibres from olive tree prunings could meet the requirements for some automotive parts. The team produced a number of components using injection moulding of a compound comprised of 60% recycled PP and 40% olive tree fibre and concluded they offered the durability required as well as offering the potential to reduce weight and carbon footprint.


Examples of interior trim panels produced using the material were shown as part of the final CompOlive project workshop last month. �www.lifecompolive.eu


www.compoundingworld.com


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