Disposables

The potential for environmental stress cracking is a common concern when plastics are used in medical devices. According to materials expert Jeffrey Jansen of The Madison Group, environmental stress cracking (ESC) is considered a leading cause of plastic part failure. “It is the premature embrittlement and subsequent cracking of a plastic due to the simultaneous and synergistic action of stress and contact with a chemical agent. Because of the frequency and severity of ESC failure, it has been nicknamed ‘the plastic killer,’” says Jansen.1