PE vs. PVC; What does it all mean? Dec 12 '99    Write an essay on this topic. Tweet These are two types of plastic. Polyvinalchloride (PVC) and Polyethylene (PE). PVC and PE are the least expensive to produce. Most common uses: milk containers and food containers. In general nothing can leech out of plastic unless broken down chemically (heat, degradation by microorganisms, and availability of atmospheric oxygen). These are also made into plastic pellets as fillers for products. They become dangerous as when they get into the water animals choke on these. There are actually 2 types of PE pellets and many companies do not differentiate. From the research I was looking at PE pellets pose no danger when contained in plastic display cases. PVC is a possible culprit. It supposedly gives off some sort of acidic gas and acid free paper will buffer this gas (or neutralize it). Textile experts feel if you want to keep a museum quality collection you should: 1. Avoid this as it can accelerate deterioration and yellowing, over a period of time. 2. Avoid fluctuations in temperature to avoid mold and mildew (use silica gel). 3. Do not handle the toy as dirt attracts microorganisms. 4. Ventilation helps to diffuse gasses. 5. UV rays and fluorescent light will cause more damage. This information was gathered as many collectors were concerned about the possible dangers of plastic display cases and collectible toys (which shall remain nameless due to possible copyright infringement) with PE and PVC pellets. This is more of a concern if you or your child is an avid collector of these bean bag toys. Opening the display cases periodically for aeration if you are concerned about the collection of gases. In any case, if you child is under the age of 3 they should not be chewing on these toys. If they open up they can be a choking hazard. Under normal use this should not happen.

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