Reprinted with permission from the Office of Science and Society of McGill University.
Initially, squeeze balls made of polyurethane foam should be used to resist pressure. Feeling anxious? To relieve the pressure, just compress a "pressure ball" and watch it slowly expand back to its original size. At least the advertisement is like this. But now for some parents, squeezing polyurethane foam can cause stress.
Their children are collecting and squeezing "squishies", which are the latest and hottest toys. These are descendants of pressure balls and come in many sizes and shapes, such as ice cream cones, cupcakes, animals and various fruits. Some are soft and even scented. Squeeze the strawberry shortcake and smell the berries! This is where the problem lies. This berry may not be the only smell of these soft candies.
Both the pressure ball and the soft rubber are made of polyurethane, which is a kind of "polymer". When its component "monomers" (i.e. isocyanate and polyol) are connected together to form a long chain, this "polymerization" is formed. Things". However, there are a lot of complicated chemical components behind this simple description. First, a variety of isocyanates and polyols can be used. Then there are blowing agents, solvents, catalysts, surfactants, crosslinking chemicals, dyes and flame retardants involved in the production of the final product. Depending on the degree of care taken in the manufacturing process, some of these chemicals may remain in the product and then "degas", or simply give off gas. It is not uncommon for polyurethane materials to smell before the residue dissipates. But before they do, they will have an impact on health.
People complain that the smell of polyurethane mattresses can cause headaches and breathing problems, and now soft people are also accused of doing so. A mother recounted the experience of her young daughter having hallucinations after sleeping with toys. The little girl believes that the photo of the cat on her wall is looking at her, and her dressing table is still alive! She had a nightmare and her sleep was disturbed until the soft things were removed and air was released in the room.
There is no doubt that polyurethane products emit potentially harmful chemicals. The Danish Environmental Protection Agency tested some soft gels and found that they would release toluene, styrene and dimethylformamide. In view of the complexity of polyurethane formulations, there may be more chemicals that can be degassed. I can promise.
Just to see what the commotion surrounding the soft and soft Internet is, I ordered a bunch. Some are very small, and some are like watermelons, almost as big as the real thing. I left the opened package on my desk. Before long, I had to put it outside because the smell was too big. It gives me a headache. Interestingly, the soft package of watermelon does have a huge "don't eat!" warning. I suspect that someone would want to bite into a plastic melon, but some soft things are small enough to cause a choking hazard to children. This may make parents reach out for the pressure ball.
The original McGill University OSS post can be found here.
Joe Schwarcz is a professor of chemistry and the director of the Office of Science and Society at McGill University, which is dedicated to cultivating critical thinking and distinguishing meaning from nonsense.
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