For more than 40 years, plastic medical products from disposable syringes to IV blood bags to heart valves have helped doctors and nurses save lives. Among the attributes that make vinyl widely used in medical applications are its clarity and transparency, flexibility, sterilizability and ease of processing. Indeed, the use of flexible vinyl has been critical in establishing disposable medical products which have dramatically reduced infection rates and the spread of disease.
Plasticizers are compounds added in the manufacture of vinyl to impart softness and flexibility.
Without plasticizers, many of the vinyl medical products doctors and nurses use everyday would not exist. Phthalate esters are the most common plasticizers used in vinyl medical applications. Phthalate esters and vinyl have been tested for more than 40 years and are among the most understood compounds in the world. Despite this proven track record, the safety of phthalate esters in vinyl medical products has been questioned by some. In response to these questions, the American Council on Science and Health convened an independent expert panel, headed by former U.S. Surgeon General Dr. C. Everett Koop, to evaluate the safety of the use of phthalate esters in vinyl products.