Medical Disinfecting Agents Induced Embrittlement in a Polycarbonate/Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene (PC-ABS) Resin

The disinfection of medical-grade plastics is essential to minimizing the spread of disease and maintaining safe healthcare facilities for providers and patients. However, applied cleaning agents can also contain ingredients that are incompatible with the plastics used in medical devices, leading to premature material failure. In this study, we evaluated the chemical resistance of a polycarbonate/acrylonitrile butadiene styrene resin (PC-ABS) to various disinfecting agents. Disinfecting agents were applied twice daily to samples held at varied constant strain under ambient conditions. All tested disinfecting agents were found to cause cracking in the PC-ABS samples after 14 days of exposure. Although plastic components were in contact with a disinfecting solution for short durations, the data presented in this study highlights that a combination of repeated use and moderate stress levels can compromise the mechanical integrity of a material and lead to premature failure.