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Patrick

Posted on Originally published at poliinternational.com

Sterilization and Polymer Degradation: Why Gamma, EO, and Steam Don't Treat Body Jewelry Equally

Gamma irradiation, ethylene oxide, and steam autoclave each degrade body jewelry polymers differently. BioFlex PP-R, PTFE, silicone, and acrylic respond with distinct chain scission, crosslinking, and hydrolysis behavior.

What the full article covers

  • Gamma irradiation crosslinks some polymers and scissions others; BioFlex (PP-R) tolerates it, PTFE and acrylic do not

  • Ethylene oxide sterilization leaves reactive residuals that must be aerated to ISO 10993-7 limits

  • Steam autoclave adds hydrolysis to thermal stress, the fastest degradation route for condensation polymers

  • Matching polymer to sterilization method is a specification decision, not a workflow afterthought

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First published on poliinternational.com. This is a summary of the original engineering article.

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