Rubber Accelerators

Safer Accelerators for the Latex Industry

Abstract

Type IV allergic reactions have been well documented in latex products. Conventional dithiocarbamates, thiurams and mercaptobenzthiazoles have been shown to be the main cause. The same accelerators are also found to be responsible for potentially harmful nitrosamines. Safer accelerators diisopropyl xanthogen polysulphide (DIXP) and zinc diisononyl dithiocabamate (ZDNC); developed by Robinson Brothers Limited; have been shown to produce equivalent technological properties to those seen with widely used conventional accelerators in natural rubber, synthetic polyisoprene and carboxylated nitrile latices.

The paper will describe the physico-chemical properties in association with their toxicological and environmental findings (independently carried out) and the findings will be utilised to show how the results relate to the elimination or reduction of Type IV allergy.

Khirud B Chakaraborty and Roger Couchman
Robinson Brothers Limited, West Bromwich B70 0AH UK