Silicone has gained popularity in recent years due to its unique properties and advantages, and is widely used in various industries. It is often used as a substitute for plastic. Whether silicone releases microplastics like plastic is an important factor affecting the compliance of your products.
This article will explore the issue of silicone and microplastics, hoping to be helpful for your procurement.
Does Silicone Release Microplastics?
Definition
Silicone
Silicone is a synthetic polymer composed of silicon dioxide, oxygen, carbon and hydrogen. Unlike traditional plastics such as polyethylene(PE) or polypropylene(PP), which are derived from petroleum, silicone is not.
Silicone is widely used in various fields due to its durability, flexibility, temperature resistance and chemical resistance. It can be used to produce sealing rings, baking mats, industrial nozzles, as well as medical silicone tubes and other types of products.
Microplastics
Microplastics are commonly defined as plastic particles smaller than 5 mm. The EU REACH regulations define them as synthetic polymer particles and polymer particles that do not contain carbon atoms are not subject to this regulation.
Certain silicone materials may fall outside the current scope of the EU REACH microplastics restriction because of how the regulation defines synthetic polymer particles. Compliance must be evaluated for your individual product nonetheless.
No Microplastics from Silicone Under Normal Use
Silicone can release particles under abrasion or degradation, but whether these particles are classified as “microplastics” depends on the applicable regulatory definition.
Under the conditions of daily use by consumers, such as scratching, heating, and long-term wear and tear, traditional plastics tend to release tiny particles, with a size of no more than 5 millimeters, which are considered harmful microplastics.
However, silicone materials have stable properties. Although they may still degrade after your customers repeatedly use them, the resulting particles are usually much larger, so they are not classified as such microplastics.
However, if you add abrasive particles or glitter and other substances during the production of silicone products, the EU REACH restriction on microplastics will classify these as intentionally added microplastics, which may significantly increase the compliance risk of your products.
Differences Between Silicone Particles and Microplastics
Particle Release
If you produce similar products using plastic and silicone, during the daily use by your customers, the release of particles from plastic products is high, while that from silicone products is relatively low. However, particle release depends heavily on formulation, processing quality and service conditions.
Because high-quality platinum-cured silicone generally demonstrates good mechanical stability and low extractables compared with lower-quality formulations. Platinum-cured silicone is generally preferred for applications requiring high purity and low extractable residues, which is in line with environmental protection regulations.
Chemical Backbone
The backbone of plastic chemistry is C-C, while Silicone materials have a siloxane (Si–O–Si) backbone, which provides excellent thermal and chemical stability under many service conditions.
This structure enables the silicone to be exempt from the microplastics restriction, allowing your production and procurement to avoid compliance risks. Moreover, it can ensure the stability of product quality during use, thereby enhancing your brand reputation.
Harmful Additives and Toxicity
Some plastic products may contain additives such as plasticizers, stabilizers or colorants depending on the formulation and intended application.
Moreover, microplastics are prone to adsorb heavy metals and pathogens, and can easily become carriers of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs), posing ecological toxicity. All these factors may prevent your products from passing safety inspections in various countries and expanding market channels.
In high-quality silicone products, such additives are not added and they can pass the tests. The silicone particles also maintain stable chemical properties and are difficult to absorb environmental pollutants. High-quality silicone is generally regarded as biologically inert in many applications.
Distributing silicone products can better meet your customers’ safety standards and ensure ecological and usage safety.
Environmental Impact
Microplastics may take hundreds of years to degrade; and silicone generally degrades differently from conventional hydrocarbon plastics, but degradation pathways and environmental fate depend on environmental conditions and material formulation.
In some applications, silicone’s long service life and durability may contribute to reduced replacement frequency, although overall environmental impact should ideally be evaluated through life-cycle assessment. By choosing silicone, you can meet the environmental compliance requirements of multiple regions and build your green brand.
FAQ
Is Silicone Safer Than Plastic?
Yes, in most applications. However, you should be aware that low-quality silicone containing fillers or additives may not be as safe as high-quality plastics. We suggest that your product should comply with the FDA (21 CFR 177.2600) and LFGB standards.
Is Silicone a Better Alternative to Plastics for Food Storage?
Food grade platinum-cured silicone is the case. Because it is more stable and does not release harmful chemicals such as bisphenol A (BPA) or phthalates, it can make your customers feel more at ease.
Does Heating Speed Up the Release of Silicone Particles?
Yes. Especially during steam disinfection, since repeated high-temperature steam sterilization may gradually contribute to material aging in some formulations, resulting in an increase in particle release. However, when it comes to high-temperature applications, the oven is in a dry heat environment, which is relatively stable.
Does Freezing Cause Particle Release from Silicone?
This situation is not very common. Silicone has excellent temperature resistance, typically with a temperature range from -50°C to 220°C. Your customer usually operates at a freezing temperature of -20°C to -5°C, which is within the performance range of silicone. Silicone can maintain good stability.
How to Identify High-Quality Silicone with Low Particle Release?
We recommend choosing products labeled as “100% food-grade silicone” or “LFGB”. Platinum-cured silicone is usually superior to peroxide-cured silicone because it has fewer residual chemicals and is generally regarded as of higher quality.
Final Thoughts
Legensilico is a professional silicone manufacturer in China, offering you a one-stop service. If you need high-quality silicone products or want to learn more about silicone-related knowledge, please feel free to contact us at any time. Our staff will be at your service.
