In recent years there have been certain scare stories about the possible negative effects on human health from some of these materials. However, today, it is realised that it is often not the polymers themselves, but their monomers or the additives used that are responsible for these negative effects. And the reality is that a lot of polymers are used in medical applications without adverse effects on patients. Hence, the dividing line between whether something is toxic and harmful to health or not (and if it is, under what conditions) is a very critical issue and therefore, there needs to be a better understanding of these systems. This book presents the available information on the eternal triangle of plastics and rubber and health, to enable a better understanding of the facts.

This report takes a broad overview of the rubber industry and highlights the key concerns over safety that are currently being raised. The statistics on the incidence of accidents are reviewed. The rubber industry has been highlighted as having a higher rate of accidents than other similar industries. Measures that can be taken to avoid injury from machinery are discussed, including advice from the International Labour Organization on mill safety. The review is accompanied by around 400 abstracts from the Rapra Polymer Library database, to facilitate further reading on this subject.