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Re: plastic toxicity
Roger Miller writes:
<snip>>So, I've inventoried the synthetic materials in the tank, and I'm
>wondering if anyone has had problems, or knows of similar problems caused
>by any of these plastics:
>
> Plastic components on a Rio powerhead and "Tronic" heater
> Clear plastic tubing used for lift tubes and rigid air lines
> White styrene plates and tubes (four half-dollar sized plates and
> a 1-inch tube)
> vinyl tubing (about an inch total))
> hot glue, epoxy glue
>
>Of the several possibilities I'm most suspicious of the styrene and the
>hot glue. Someone on this list once lectured us on the dangers of vinyl
>tubing, but the stuff has been in use for so long that I have a hard time
>imagining that it's causing the problem. I know some of us have used hot
>glue; has anyone else had long-term problems while using it?
>
>Come to think of it, there's also the 10-year old, unused UGF plate still
>under the gravel. I don't know what sort of plastic that is, but there
>sure is a lot of it.
>
Styrofoam has been reported to slowly leech off low levels of toxic, or at
least not ozone-friendly, fumes for years after manufacture. That would be
the first thing I removed. Vinyl is used for making PVC pvc pipes, and has
been in the hobby for years. It's unlikely that it would be the problem.
Ditto with th UGF plate, they use a plastic that I think is styrene, but it
isn't the same one that is used to make styrofoam. The styrene pieces you
mention may not be a safe styrene. I don't know about the hot-glue, but I
would be surprised if it didn't slowly dissolve in the tank.
Just guesses mostly,
Bob Dixon