ABSTRACT
As discussed throughout this work, the identification, classification and suitability of additives directly affects the cost and/or profit of end-use products. Included in this area are product quality, production control and product aging/weathering. A particular additive may contain several components, but only list the major one in the description. Therefore it is important also to know the composition and purity of the additives themselves. This is best achieved by developing and/or acquiring an inventory of well-defined standards. The authors have seen numerous examples of additive-associated problems which have been traced to poorly characterized materials employed at the front end of the production cycle. The use of such materials can result in serious legal and/or financial problems for the end-use manufacturer. Additionally, the use of plastics additives is becoming a target for scrutiny by regulatory (FDA) and environmental (EPA) agencies (e.g. foodrelated materials).
