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Re: lifespan of hard rubber

Author: L. Omar Henderson
Date: 2007-05-01 16:35

Hard rubber, even glass for that matter is an amorphous liquid whose movement has been slowed down by a structure imposed by crosslinking or crystal formation. Old glass windows will be thicker at the bottom because of the flow of the liquid. Heat, as noted by Allan will speed up the process and lead to distortion of the cast or milled original form. Granted the distortion under usual environmental conditions is long term (many years) but it is reasonable to understand the basic properties of the materials involved and take precautions not to speed up the process or encourage "decay" in hard rubber with heat, UV exposure, or environment pollutants like ozone. I do not think that the FDA or EPA have been called in to look at potential leeching of lead from old mouthpieces with mouth contact but if you are worried about your old Chedville Steel Ebonite mouthpiece being a potential health hazard for you - please send it to me for proper hazardous waste disposal (after I try it out of course !!!).
L. Omar Henderson
www.doctorsprod.com

Post Edited (2007-05-01 16:53)

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lifespan of hard rubber

Molloy

2007-05-01 13:05