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THE CHEMICAL ENGINEERS' RESOURCE PAGE
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I am a print master in Vermont and use photo polymer printing plates on a daily basis in the workplace.  Off subject because I am not an engineer.   Straight to the point.  This material is made in China.  The material safety data sheets give little information relating to it's toxicity.  Any leads on a USA source that could put a little light on this material?  Brand names used are Toyobo (also called Printight) and Toray photo-polymer printing plates.  We can't seem to nail it down totally, but have had complaints of headaches, nausea, lightheadedness, etc.  Trying to get information to isolate symptoms to proper cause.   Any leads to chemical composition would be appreciated.

Although I don't know much about printing, I found your situation interesting and I am very concerned about these symptoms.  I was able to find both types of your plates on the internet.

The Toyobo plate are at:
http://www.toyobo.co.jp/e/seihiu/xk/print/index.htm
these plates contain polyester and nylon.  But, they do show an "anit-halation" layer that may be of some concern.

The Toray plates are at:
http://www.toray.co.jp/eljigyou/denshi/denshi_4.html
these plates are based on silicon rubber.

From these pages, you can contact these manufacturers and pose your problems to them, but I can't help but think that the plates may not be your problem.  The symptoms sound like textbook reactions to volative solvents.  Have you recently started using a new solvent in the shop?  Check the containers and be sure that none of them are leaking.   If you've pinpointed the fact that the containers are all sealed, contact these manufacturers (especially Toyobo) and inquire about any toxic effects that may be possible.  Be sure you find the problem though, it could be very dangerous.  To investigate another possibility, you may want to have the shop tested for carbon monoxide, especially if it has an older heating system.  It could be a number of things, but check them in this order:  solvents, carbon monoxide, Toyobo plates.  Good Luck

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