PC(polycarbonate), one of the most common plastics. This material itself is non-toxic, especially for making baby bottles, space cups and so on. It is controversial because it contains BPA. In theory, as long as 100% of BPA is converted into plastic structure in the process of making PC, it means that there is no BPA in the product, and it will become no threat to health. However, if a small amount of BPA is not converted into PC plastic structure, it may release into food or drinks, threatening the health and safety of users, especially adolescents.
To choose the right plastic water bottle, you need to understand PC and PP first.
PP is the abbreviation of polypropylene. It has good heat resistance. The products can be sterilized at temperatures above 100 without external force and deformation at 150 ℃. It is one of the most common plastics used in microwave ovens. However, careful investigation will find that PC products are often more expensive than PP products on the market. Customers tend to rush to the concept of "the more expensive, the better the quality" to select. In fact, the price difference is because the price of one ton of PC is much higher than that of one ton of PP in the current market. Comparing the two materials, it is found that the wear resistance of PP is worse than that of PC. Therefore, when making transparent cups, PC is generally used as the material, and PC products are more beautiful than PP products. But from the safety point of view, the processing temperature of PP plastics is 180 - 240 ℃, so boiling water will not decompose it, so PP is safer than PC.
Does boiling water in PC water bottles do harm?
General PC plastic water bottles can withstand the temperature of - 30 - 140 ℃, but this is the physical properties of the material, just that this material will not crack and melt when used at this temperature. But from the point of view of food safety, we will find that the higher the temperature is, the more BPA will be released from PC, and the faster it will be. So PC poses a health risk because it releases BPA at high temperatures.
Bisphenol A (BPA) is a kind of material which is often used to synthesize PC and epoxy resin in industry. In modern industry, BPA can be said to be ubiquitous, from mineral water bottles, medical devices to the inside of food packaging, there are its shadow. Every year, nearly 27 million tons of bisphenol A-containing plastics are produced worldwide. Although it is of great industrial use, its harm to human is not small. According to research, BPA can lead to endocrine disorders, and may even cause cancer and obesity caused by metabolic disorders. The European Union believes that BPA-containing bottles can induce premature puberty and bans the production of BPA-containing baby bottles from March 2, 2011. Therefore, it is better not to use PC water bottle to fill hot water, let alone put it in the microwave oven.
Back
ground
Before we begin the comparison, let me first tell you about this widely used material. It is a thermoplastic polymer made by chain growth polymerization. It is one of the most used plastic materials in the world today. With the increasing number of new plastic grades and materials, you can get easily confused while shopping for plastic materials. This is the reason we’re publishing these guides to help our readers understand which is what and make a better decision for themselves.
Impact resistance and strength
When it comes to impact resistance and strength, you already know that solid polycarbonate is the big winner. It is one of the strongest plastic materials available, providing superior strength and longest life. That’s why clear solid polycarbonate sheets and solid polycarbonate roofing sheets are so popular.
On the other hand, polypropylene is also a durable product. Has stronger impact resistance than other materials, although not as strong as PC plastics.
Weight
We all wish we had lighter products. One of the reasons why polycarbonate (hollow polycarbonate sheet) is widely used as an alternative to glass and metal is that it is lighter.
If we compare the weight of PC and PP material, PP is much lighter than PC material. This makes it a good choice for many applications, including luggage and suitcases.
Cutting performance
If you need plastic material for processing, you'll want to avoid polycarbonate plastic sheets. Because they have an optimal strength level, the PC material cannot be machined correctly. You should have good polycarbonate processing skills.
Manufacturers can use polypropylene for processing because it is easy to process and shape.
Applications of these materials
Polycarbonate and polypropylene both have a wide range of applications. However, PC materials are mostly used for heavy-duty uses. Such as greenhouses (greenhouse panels like 4mm polycarbonate greenhouse panels), roofing panels (clear polycarbonate roofing sheet), riot shields, protective walls, etc. because they don’t break and are high impact resistant while offering extremely well transparency and lightweight ability, polycarbonate can be used as an alternative for both metal and glass materials.
On the other hand, polypropylene offers a great deal of value too. You can’t use it for greenhouses, but that doesn’t eliminate the wide range of applications of this product. It was one of the most produced plastics in 2019, and the consumption of this material is going up every year.
PP plastic is mostly used for packaging, car and medical equipment, bags, disposable items, etc. Among those, this material is one of the best packaging materials. We use it every day from our bottle caps to shopping bags. Besides, other than polycarbonate and ABS luggage, polypropylene luggage is widely used too. The best thing about this is that it falls in the middle of the other two alternatives.
Hangzhou Saining Polycarbonate Sheet Co., Ltd. was founded in 1997, it is a manufacturer that specializes in producing various kinds of high-quality polycarbonate sheets (such as transparent polycarbonate sheet and flexible polycarbonate sheet).