Tritan copolyester

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A water bottle made of Tritan. Hydration Bottles (6959996605).jpg
A water bottle made of Tritan.

Tritan, a copolymer offered by the Eastman Chemical Company since 2007, is a transparent plastic intended to replace polycarbonate, because of health concerns about Bisphenol A (BPA). [1] [2] Tritan is a copolymer made from three monomers: dimethyl terephthalate (DMT), cyclohexanedimethanol (CHDM), and 2,2,4,4-Tetramethyl-1,3-cyclobutanediol (CBDO). [3] Tritan (PCTG) is made without using any bisphenols or phthalates.

Contents

Eastman Tritan cannot be used for hot beverages (like hot water, coffee or tea) and is recommended only for usage temperatures below 60 °C, as it starts to deteriorate at temperatures above 80 °C. [4] [5]

In April 2008, Nalgene announced it would phase out production of its outdoor line of polycarbonate containers containing the chemical bisphenol A. [6] Nalgene now uses Tritan as a replacement for polycarbonate, as it does not contain BPA. [7]

Health controversy

In 2011, a neurobiologist at the University of Texas at Austin, George Bittner, published an article claiming that most polymers, including Tritan, contained other materials with estrogenic activity. [8]

After these claims were published by PlastiPure, an Eastman Chemical Company competitor, Eastman sued. A jury ruled in their favor, and the Court barred PlastiPure from making claims about triton's estrogenic activity. [1] In expert testimony, Wade Welshon of the University of Missouri-Columbia, agreed that the Tritan copolymer is likely not estrogenic but that the estrogenic activity he found in five separate tests of Tritan products could be attributable to other chemicals added during manufacturing. [1]

During the trial emerged that Thomas Osimitz an author of the journal article [9] that initially cleared Tritan of estrogenic activity was paid $10,000 by the company for the paper and that this was not disclosed in the Conflict of Interests section. [10] When Osimitz was questioned by Reuters he stated that the disclosure forms were "very confusing." [10] Bittner maintains that his assays are more sensitive that the ones performed Osimitz et al. [1]

Similar products

Other manufacturers have developed similar products including the French Arc Holdings's Kwarx since 2006, [11] the German Glaskoch  [ de ] (Leonardo) Teqton since 2009 [12] and the South-Korean SK Chemicals' Ecozen, a glycol-modified polyethylene terephthalate (PETG) since 2010/2011. [13] Other manufacturers propose polypropylene (PP) [14] or methylstyrene (MS) as alternatives to Tritan.

Name confusion

Tritan [15] can also refer to a type of so called unbreakable glass originally developed by the German Zwiesel Kristallglas in 2002 together with University of Erlangen–Nuremberg. [16] [17] Its name is derived from titanoxide (titanium oxide in English). In 2012, the Zwiesel Kristallglas company introduced Tritan Protect. [17] [18] [19] Confusingly, although both are unrelated, Zwiesel Tritan glass and Eastman Tritan copolyester are both advertised as "shatter protected" and are used in the production of drinking glasses as replacements for traditional glasses, despite their different material properties.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Petrochemical</span> Chemical product derived from petroleum

Petrochemicals are the chemical products obtained from petroleum by refining. Some chemical compounds made from petroleum are also obtained from other fossil fuels, such as coal or natural gas, or renewable sources such as maize, palm fruit or sugar cane.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Polycarbonate</span> Family of polymers

Polycarbonates (PC) are a group of thermoplastic polymers containing carbonate groups in their chemical structures. Polycarbonates used in engineering are strong, tough materials, and some grades are optically transparent. They are easily worked, molded, and thermoformed. Because of these properties, polycarbonates find many applications. Polycarbonates do not have a unique resin identification code (RIC) and are identified as "Other", 7 on the RIC list. Products made from polycarbonate can contain the precursor monomer bisphenol A (BPA).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nalgene</span> Brand of plastic products

Nalgene is a brand of plastic products developed originally for laboratory use, including items such as jars, bottles, test tubes, and Petri dishes, that were shatterproof and lighter than glass. The properties of plastic products make them suitable for work with many substances in various temperature ranges.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bisphenol A</span> Chemical compound used in plastics manufacturing

Bisphenol A (BPA) is a chemical compound primarily used in the manufacturing of various plastics. It is a colourless solid which is soluble in most common organic solvents, but has very poor solubility in water. BPA is produced on an industrial scale by the condensation reaction of phenol and acetone. Global production in 2022 was estimated to be in the region of 10 million tonnes.

Xenoestrogens are a type of xenohormone that imitates estrogen. They can be either synthetic or natural chemical compounds. Synthetic xenoestrogens include some widely used industrial compounds, such as PCBs, BPA, and phthalates, which have estrogenic effects on a living organism even though they differ chemically from the estrogenic substances produced internally by the endocrine system of any organism. Natural xenoestrogens include phytoestrogens which are plant-derived xenoestrogens. Because the primary route of exposure to these compounds is by consumption of phytoestrogenic plants, they are sometimes called "dietary estrogens". Mycoestrogens, estrogenic substances from fungi, are another type of xenoestrogen that are also considered mycotoxins.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Water bottle</span> Container for liquids

A water bottle is a container that is used to hold liquids, mainly water, for the purpose of transporting a drink while travelling or while otherwise away from a supply of potable water.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Polyester</span> Category of polymers, in which the monomers are joined together by ester links

Polyester is a category of polymers that contain one or two ester linkages in every repeat unit of their main chain. As a specific material, it most commonly refers to a type called polyethylene terephthalate (PET). Polyesters include naturally occurring chemicals, such as in plants and insects, as well as synthetics such as polybutyrate. Natural polyesters and a few synthetic ones are biodegradable, but most synthetic polyesters are not. Synthetic polyesters are used extensively in clothing.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cyclic olefin copolymer</span> Chemical compound

Cyclic olefin copolymer (COC) is an amorphous polymer made by several polymer manufacturers. COC is a relatively new class of polymers as compared to commodities such as polypropylene and polyethylene. This newer material is used in a wide variety of applications including packaging films, lenses, vials, displays, and medical devices.

PBAT is a biodegradable random copolymer, specifically a copolyester of adipic acid, 1,4-butanediol and terephthalic acid. PBAT is produced by many different manufacturers and may be known by the brand names ecoflex, Wango,Ecoworld, Eastar Bio, and Origo-Bi. It is also called poly(butylene adipate-co-terephthalate) and sometimes polybutyrate-adipate-terephthalate or even just "polybutyrate". It is generally marketed as a fully biodegradable alternative to low-density polyethylene, having many similar properties including flexibility and resilience, allowing it to be used for many similar uses such as plastic bags and wraps. The structure is a random-block polymer consisting of butanediol–adipic acid and butanediol-terephthalic acid blocks.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bisphenol S</span> Chemical compound

Bisphenol S (BPS) is an organic compound with the formula (HOC6H4)2SO2. It has two phenol functional groups on either side of a sulfonyl group. It is commonly used in curing fast-drying epoxy resin adhesives. It is classified as a bisphenol, and a close molecular analog of bisphenol A (BPA). BPS differentiates from BPA by possessing a sulfone group (SO2) as the central linker of the molecule instead of a dimethylmethylene group (C 2), which is the case of bisphenol A.

A copolyester is a copolymer synthesized by modification of polyesters, which are combinations of diacids and diols. For example, by introducing other diacids, such as isophthalic acid (IPA), or other diols, such as cyclohexane dimethanol (CHDM) to the polyester polyethylene terephthalate (PET), the material becomes a copolyester due to its comonomer content.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Reproductive toxicity</span> A hazard associated with chemical substances

Reproductive toxicity refers to the potential risk from a given chemical, physical or biologic agent to adversely affect both male and female fertility as well as offspring development. Reproductive toxicants may adversely affect sexual function, ovarian failure, fertility as well as causing developmental toxicity in the offspring. Lowered effective fertility related to reproductive toxicity relates to both male and female effects alike and is reflected in decreased sperm counts, semen quality and ovarian failure.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2,2,4,4-Tetramethyl-1,3-cyclobutanediol</span> Chemical compound

2,2,4,4-Tetramethyl-1,3-cyclobutanediol (CBDO) is an aliphatic diol. This diol is produced as a mixture of cis- and trans-isomers, depending on the relative stereochemistry of the hydroxyl groups. It is used as a monomer for the synthesis of polymeric materials, usually as an alternative to bisphenol A (BPA). CBDO is used in the production of tritan copolyester which is used as a BPA-free replacement for polycarbonate.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bisphenol AF</span> Chemical compound

Bisphenol AF (BPAF) is a fluorinated organic compound that is an analogue of bisphenol A in which the two methyl groups are replaced with trifluoromethyl groups. It exists as a white to light-gray powder.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cyclohexanedimethanol</span> Chemical compound

Cyclohexanedimethanol (CHDM) is a mixture of isomeric organic compounds with formula C6H10(CH2OH)2. It is a colorless low-melting solid used in the production of polyester resins. Commercial samples consist of a mixture of cis and trans isomers. It is a di-substituted derivative of cyclohexane and is classified as a diol, meaning that it has two OH functional groups. Commercial CHDM typically has a cis/trans ratio of 30:70.

Tritan may refer to:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bisphenol F</span> Chemical compound

Bisphenol F is an organic compound with the chemical formula (HOC
6H
4)
2CH
2. It is structurally related to bisphenol A (BPA), a popular precursor for forming plastics, as both belong to the category of molecules known as bisphenols, which feature two phenol groups connected via a linking group. In BPF, the two aromatic rings are linked by a methylene connecting group. In response to concern about the health effects of BPA, BPF is increasingly used as a substitute for BPA.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Health effects of Bisphenol A</span> Controversy centering on concerns about the biomedical significance of bisphenol A (BPA)

Bisphenol A controversy centers on concerns and debates about the biomedical significance of bisphenol A (BPA), which is a precursor to polymers that are used in some consumer products, including some food containers. The concerns began with the hypothesis that BPA is an endocrine disruptor, i.e. it mimics endocrine hormones and thus has the unintended and possibly far-reaching effects on people in physical contact with the chemical.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tetramethyl bisphenol F</span> Chemical compound

Tetramethyl bisphenol F (TMBPF) is a new coating intended as a safer replacement for bisphenol A and bisphenol F to use in epoxy linings of aluminium cans and steel cans. It was previously suggested as an insulator in electronic circuit boards.

The methods for sequence analysis of synthetic polymers differ from the sequence analysis of biopolymers. Synthetic polymers are produced by chain-growth or step-growth polymerization and show thereby polydispersity, whereas biopolymers are synthesized by complex template-based mechanisms and are sequence-defined and monodisperse. Synthetic polymers are a mixture of macromolecules of different length and sequence and are analysed via statistical measures.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Glausiusz, Josie (2014). "Toxicology: The plastics puzzle". Nature. 508 (7496): 306–308. Bibcode:2014Natur.508..306G. doi: 10.1038/508306a . PMID   24740050. S2CID   4454912.
  2. ↑ "Bisphenol A: Kunststoff mit Nebenwirkungen". www.spektrum.de (in German). Retrieved 2024-02-29.
  3. ↑ Osimitz, T. G.; Eldridge, M. L.; Sloter, E.; Welsh, W.; Ai, N.; Sayler, G. S.; Menn, F.; Toole, C. (2012). "Lack of androgenicity and estrogenicity of the three monomers used in Eastman's Tritan copolyesters". Food and Chemical Toxicology. 50 (6): 2196–2305. doi:10.1016/j.fct.2012.02.010. PMID   22343188.
  4. ↑ "Tritan, Edelstahl oder Glas? Die Vor- und Nachteile der verschiedenen Trinkflaschen-Materialien". boddels.de (in German). 2021-03-06. Archived from the original on 2024-01-19. Retrieved 2024-05-15.
  5. ↑ "Is Tritan Plastic Better Than Traditional Plastic?". www.greenhive.io. Archived from the original on 2024-05-01. Retrieved 2024-05-15.
  6. ↑ "Nalgene to Phase Out Production of Consumer Bottles Containing BPA". Reuters. 2008-04-18. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2014-04-30. Retrieved 2013-02-07.
  7. ↑ "Nalgene Choice". Archived from the original on 2016-03-02. Retrieved 2008-09-29. Requires Adobe Flash
  8. ↑ Yang, Chun Z.; Yaniger, Stuart I.; Jordan, V. Craig; Klein, Daniel J.; Bittner, George D. (2011). "Most Plastic Products Release Estrogenic Chemicals: A Potential Health Problem That Can be Solved". Environmental Health Perspectives. 119 (7): 989–996. doi:10.1289/ehp.1003220. PMC   3222987 . PMID   21367689.
  9. ↑ Osimitz, Thomas G.; Eldridge, Melanie L.; Sloter, Eddie; Welsh, William; Ai, Ni; Sayler, Gary S.; Menn, FuMin; Toole, Colleen (2012-06-01). "Lack of androgenicity and estrogenicity of the three monomers used in Eastman's Tritan™ copolyesters". Food and Chemical Toxicology. 50 (6): 2196–2205. doi:10.1016/j.fct.2012.02.010. ISSN   0278-6915.
  10. 1 2 Begley, Sharon (2013-07-19). "Science for hire - Trial over plastic exposes disclosure deficit". Reuters. Archived from the original on 2024-10-26. Retrieved 2024-10-26.
  11. ↑ Carter, Felicity (2006-05-23). "'Unbreakable' glass launched". Decanter. Retrieved 2024-02-29.
  12. ↑ "twenty4 - erste Glasserie von LEONARDO aus dem Glasmaterial TEQTON® - Pressemeldung vom 17.08.2009". www.perspektive-mittelstand.de. Retrieved 2024-02-29.
  13. ↑ https://www.ferroplast.com/pdf/Ecozen_Brochure.pdf
  14. ↑ "Polypropylen statt Tritan". ISYbe die nachhaltige Trinkflasche (in German). Retrieved 2024-02-29.
  15. ↑ register.dpma.de Brand Tritan
  16. ↑ "Wohnen mit Glas". Handelszeitung (in Swiss High German). Archived from the original on 2023-12-29. Retrieved 2024-01-10.
  17. 1 2 Handelsblatt Unternehmensportrait "Schott Zwiesel – Das Kristallglas", 2012-12-18. https://www.handelsblatt.com/marken-des-jahrhunderts/unternehmensportraet-schott-zwiesel-das-kristallglas/7536832.html
  18. ↑ "TRITAN Kristallglas - Zwiesel Kristallglas AG" (in German). 2020-09-29. Archived from the original on 2020-09-29. Retrieved 2024-01-10.
  19. ↑ Zwiesel Kristallglas AG (ed): Zwiesel Kristallglas AG. Perfektion und Leidenschaft. Print-Consult, München 2005. pp. 31, 49.
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