Is plastic book cover really "toxic"?
Listen to what the experts say
It's the beginning of the year again, when the book cover is the best seller.
But some reports that appeared on the Internet scared the parents.
Is plastic book cover really poisonous?
Which book cover is the safest?
Faced with the questions that parents and students are most concerned about, look down for the answers!
Over 1.94 billion plastic book covers are used every semester
The reporter conducted a related search on the Internet and found that many of the pop-up articles were titled "This plastic book cover is toxic, serious or carcinogenic or precocious", or "The ingredients contained in the book cover are defective, which can cause leukemia in serious cases." Wait.
At first glance, I was really shocked. After reading these articles carefully, I found that several chemicals such as phthalates and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons were mentioned.
According to the National Education Development Statistical Bulletin 2019 issued by the Ministry of Education, in 2019, the number of primary and secondary school students in my country was approximately 194 million.
According to the calculation that each person uses 10 plastic book covers per semester, there are at least 1.94 billion plastic book covers per semester to accompany the children every day.
poisonous?
Non-toxic?
stupidly can not tell
Are there any problems with plastic book covers?
In response to this question, the reporter interviewed some students and parents. However, most people expressed concern, but they did not know the answer to the question. Some people think that plastic book covers are poisonous, while others think that only part of it is poisonous.
Reporter: Most book covers on the market may be poisonous. Do you think this is true or false?
Jiang Xitong: I think it's half true.
Gao Yueying: I don't know.
Li Dan: Plastic is indeed toxic.
Xie Haiying: Half-true, half-false, and there are indeed some qualified products.
Reporter investigation: There are many types of plastic book covers and the price difference is not big
The reporter visited some stationery stores and found that the common plastic book covers on the market are mainly made of polypropylene PP, polyethylene PE, and polyvinyl chloride PVC. Among them, polypropylene PP is the most common material.
The book cover type is divided into two types: self-adhesive type and cover type.
Stationery shop owner: There are some small brands (three no products) in the place where the goods are picked up. I don't take them. The price difference is big. The good ones are expensive. The price difference is almost doubled.
In another stationery store, some plastic book covers with no material are on sale.
Stationery shop owner: We don’t divide that (material), we only divide the brand.
Expert interpretation: plasticizer in the book cover does not mean "toxic"
Online articles on "plastic book covers are toxic" repeatedly mentioned a toxic substance called phthalate, which is actually a traditional plasticizer.
So, is there any plasticizer in plastic book covers?
The reporter purchased self-adhesive and wrap-around book covers made of pvc and pp materials from physical stationery stores and online stores, and sent them to Beijing University of Chemical Technology for comparative experiments.
Infrared spectroscopy can perform qualitative analysis of plastic products. The comparative test results show that no plasticizer is found in the book cover of PP material, but a small amount of plasticizer is found in the book cover of PVC material.
Experts explained that the PP material itself is very plastic and does not need to add plasticizers, but the intermolecular force of PVC material is too strong, and plasticizers must be added.
Zhang Liqun, Vice President of Beijing University of Chemical Technology: Many of our new plasticizers are considered to be very low-toxic plasticizers. Some of them are derived from traditional plasticizers through chemical modification. The plasticizer will also contain traces of traditional plasticizers.
Therefore, when our company uses this new type of plasticizer, it must control the content of toxic and harmful plasticizers in the product within the scope of national and international regulations.
In addition to plasticizers, another harmful substance, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, is also mentioned in related online articles.
So, does the plastic book cover contain polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons?
The reporter also sent several wrap-around book covers made of PP and PVC materials to the Testing Center of the Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences for further testing.
The test results showed that the PP material cover book covers did not contain polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, and the PVC material cover book covers contained a small amount of PAHs.
PAHs are carcinogenic.
So, does the detection of plasticizers and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in the PVC book cover mean that it is toxic?
Zhang Zongbo, Associate Researcher at the Key Laboratory of Extreme Environmental Polymer Materials, Chinese Academy of Sciences: This toxicity is obviously a relative concept, including plasticizers, these phthalates that everyone cares about, and polyaromatic hydrocarbons. Contained, it is harmless to the human body if it is below a certain limit.
In the experiment, the experts found the adhesive in the self-adhesive book cover.
Experts remind that there may also be harmful substances that affect human health in the adhesive, such as volatile organic compounds, toxic curing agents, etc.
Xue Jiajia, professor of the School of Materials Science and Engineering, Beijing University of Chemical Technology: For the self-adhesive type, in addition to the base material PP, which is polypropylene or EVA, we have also discovered other adhesive substances.
Therefore, as long as it is a qualified product produced by a regular manufacturer, it can be used with confidence. When purchasing, parents should try to buy a PP cover book cover.