A lot of people ask what we do here at Eurofins EAG Laboratories in St. Louis. The best way to summarize our services at this location is to to say that we do investigative analytical chemistry. In other words, if any product or manufacturing problem can be solved by performing analytical chemistry, we can probably do that testing in our lab!
Join Carl in the lab as he solves this scary problem!
We were contacted by a client who received reports that children were getting sick when they played with their products.
Using investigative chemistry, there are three approaches to analyzing the polymer:
1. Are there any surface contaminants present?
2. Are the materials of construction different than the manufacturer’s specifications?
3. Was the polymer cured properly?
Let’s start with surface contaminant testing using Liquid Chromatography Mass Spectrometry (LC-MS), and Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR).
Then we looked into the materials of construction, and curing using Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC) and Pyrolysis Gas Chromatography/Mass Spectrometry (Pyro-GC-MS).
Through the experiment, Carl discovered that the product was contaminated with 1,4-Butanediol which was introduced during a material supplier change. The company recalled the product.
The team at EAG Laboratories helps manufacturers find answers by using analytical chemistry to understand product issues including contaminants, changes in materials of construction, strange odors, unidentified particles, and cracking parts.
It’s easy to get lost clicking through all the techniques and information on our website. The best thing to do is speak directly with one of our technical specialists (scientists). Fill out the form below or call the number at the top right corner of our website to get in touch with our technical specialists who can figure out the best way to go about designing experiments to solve your problem.
We’ll be presenting more helpful information and interesting scientific case studies in the future and we hope you’ll join us! Thank you for watching!
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