Talk:Plastic wrap

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This article was the subject of a Wiki Education Foundation-supported course assignment, between 28 January 2019 and 25 May 2019. Further details are available on the course page. Student editor(s): Xiaochi960924.

Above undated message substituted from Template:Dashboard.wikiedu.org assignment by PrimeBOT (talk) 06:46, 17 January 2022 (UTC)

Medical Use
Paramedics use plastic wrap for burn victims, In New Zealand at least. Heard this from an (recently) ex-paramedic studying medicine with me. Said they carried it on the ambulance with them. I guess to wrap up the victim to reduce infection, and that it won't stick to the patient.   googled 'gladwrap burn victim'.

ctrl+F 'glad' in those links. --Africantearoa (talk) 09:19, 6 April 2009 (UTC)

It is also used to wrap medical equipment used in theatres as bacteria has difficulty spreading on it, and it can easily be removed and thrown away on a regular basis.

Casimir Effect?
Climg film stiction is nothing to do with the Casimir Effect - is this a practical joke? BenKinetics (talk) 08:05, 22 April 2008 204.83.240.128 (talk) 20:58, 23 March 2023 (UTC)

Environmental Concerns
Blissfulpain: Just wondering if there is an environmentally firendly alternative to plastic wrap? After some googling i can't seem to find much on the subject... biodegradable plastic bags, but no biodegradable plastic wrap. I'll keep looking and report back if i find something about it

This is CB Kam of Fine Vantage Limited. We are making LDPE plastic wrap so I think I can share some of my thoughts with you and I hope that can help.

There are two kind of plastic wrap, PVC and PE. You can run a search on Google about PVC and you will notice that it is both toxic and not environmental friendly. PVC is very popular in food catering (supermarket and hotel use) application. For the household plastic wrap, many consumers prefer PE. It is the safest plastic to use in terms of both food grade and environmental impact.

Given said, even though it is common to recycle PE, there is not too many people recycle plastic wrap. It is because the film is already very thin in gauge and there is not much tonnage if you try to recycle plastic wrap. You can find your recycle effort much more effective when you try to recycle your shampoo bottles.

There is also not such a thing about bio-degradable plastic wrap. It is because plastic wrap demands a very high tensile strength film property and haze free finished products. The overall plastic wrap global tonnage is relatively small and it won't justify to create a PE resin that is both bio-degradable and suitable to make PE plastic wrap.

We in Fine Vantage are trying to make the product safer to use so we are offering Food Grade unit box with ink that has no heavy metal on our products. We educate our supermarket buyers whenever we have a chance.

If you are much concern about plastic wrap in terms of environmental issues and food hygience, I strongly suggest you to stay away from PVC film (catering and household) and buy only PE base plastic wrap. You may want to express your concerns with your favorite supermarket. Maybe he will do something about it.

Thank you and I hope you find my explaination useful.

Best Regards,

cbkam@finevantage.com

WHY IS THERE NOTHING ON THE HISTORY OF THE PRODUCT?

___

While plastic litter remains a serious problem, in areas where trash feeds a trash to power incinerator, plastic products are actually quite friendly when disposed of properly. Paper products produce 10% ash when incinerated, but plastic is almost pure energy. It's like burning oil after using it for other things first. The temperature is high enough to prevent formation of dioxins and other nasty by-products of plastics containing chlorine. StuartGathman (talk) 17:21, 1 August 2020 (UTC)

Glad wrap
Isn't it the case that this is commonly known as 'Glad wrap' in Australia and New Zealand, because the leading brand is so prevalent. In fact I believe it is a problem, in that the Glad company is constantly trying to prevent their trademark becoming genericised (see for example this partial article). I would have thought some mention of these issues should be made. -- Solipsist 09:39, 13 December 2005 (UTC)

Image added
I have added a photo of a roll of plastic wrap to the article. It took me all of 15 minutes to make, and it sure shows, but it should do in the absence of anything better. —Ilmari Karonen (talk) 01:23, 16 December 2005 (UTC)

Overprecise!
"...roughly 0.006" (152.4μm) thick". Hmm. I think 150μm is "roughly" enough. In fact I think 0.15mm means more to most people than 150μm. Changed. 143.252.80.110 14:27, 13 April 2006 (UTC)

"Glad Wrap" in Australia
Hello good people. This is my very first contribution, so please bear with me, but I do have a personal knowledge on this subject. I worked for nine years with Douglas Lyons Ford, the person who claimed to have invented "Glad Wrap" in Australia. My knowledge of the product comes from personal communication to me from Dr Ford.

The product was never made from PVC - it was always polyethylene blow-molded with a "stickifier" and slit into rolls. To the best of my knowledge, plasticized PVC has always had health concerns and was not initially given 21 CFR (FDA) approval for food contact. Poly was an equally cheap alternative with approval for food contact. Although Doug developed the product in Australia, he was an employee of Union Carbide, an American company. It was therefore necessary to consider the potential for a new product developed in Australia to be saleable in the United States. The product has been available in Australia since the mid-1960's and it was the first retailed sticky plastic film in Australia, but there were earlier plastic films - maybe these were PVC?

I do have more on the Australian Glad Wrap story, but would appreciate some comments please.

Skelta 20:49, 17 September 2006 (UTC)

I think it is time to add more of my personal knowledge of this product as related to me by the late Dr Ford.

"Glad Wrap" was a new product in the 1960's, and in order to promote the product, the Australian Womens Weekly magazine ran a competition for readers to write in with suggested uses of the product. The winner of the competition was Lady Casey, the wife of the Governor-General of Australia. She suggested that the plastic film could be used to cover the hors d'ouvres before the guests arrive at your garden party. In the 1960's, having the wife of the Governor-General endorse your product was a great marketing coup for Glad Wrap. Second prize went to a woman from western Sydney who suggested it could be used to wrap up the same kinds of buttons in your sewing kit to keep them in their separate from one another.

The product was never patented, so in order to get good market share, Union Carbide bought a company in Brisbane, Australia, called OSO, and used the OSO brand to sell a cheaper and (deliberately) inferior product to Glad Wrap. Skelta (talk) 01:23, 19 January 2018 (UTC)


 * Hi Skelta I would love to speak with you as Dr Ford was my grandfather. Teebreeze23 (talk) 11:30, 15 January 2024 (UTC)

Pranks?
I recently [ removed] the mention of a prank (involving plastic wrap stretched over a toilet bowl) from the article, as I do not feel it is relevant to an encyclopedia article on plastic wrap. User:WikiMan78 apparently [ disagrees]. I still feel it is irrelevant trivia, but at this point I'd like to request a third opinion so as not to turn this into an "is not!" / "is too!" argument. —Ilmari Karonen (talk) 09:33, 26 January 2007 (UTC)


 * If it even deserves a mention at all (and I'm not so sure it does), it doesn't warrant having its own section. Bloodshedder 19:58, 26 January 2007 (UTC)
 * I'll say I think it's an unnecessary addition that doesn't have a lot of relevence to the subject matter. There are a lot of plastic wrap pranks. Are we going to start listing them all? If anything, a bare one line mention is all it should get. --Lendorien 22:22, 2 February 2007 (UTC)
 * Thirding it here and removing it. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 85.81.127.21 (talk) 19:40, 11 February 2007 (UTC).

BDSM
Plastic wrap is used a lot for bondage, e.g. to mummify somebody or tie them up, because it clings to itself but not the person, and it's relatively cheap. Can somebody please add a paragraph that mentions that?--Sonjaaa 05:42, 15 July 2007 (UTC)

Holes?
I remember reading somewhere that there are holes in plastic wrap to allow steam to vent. Is this true? soldierx40k 18:42, 27 October 2007 (UTC)
 * They used to make a plastic wrap for the microwave with microscopic holes in it. Haven't seen any recently.  It may have been discontinued. 76.97.245.5 (talk) 13:49, 16 March 2009 (UTC)

RE: Perforated cling film is available but to my knowledge only in industrial applications. Microscopic holes has been used by sales representatives to describe the 'breathability' of the film. However, this is not a deliberate perforation but an attribute of PVC based cling film. This is most likely a misuse of the term 'microscopic holes'. The smallest perforation currently available is done by laser but I would not describe it as microscopic since even the smallest perforation is visible to the naked eye. - User:Rosscoland — Preceding undated comment added 06:58, 17 April 2014 (UTC)

Action
I added this section. I'm not happy with the heading, but can't think of anything snappy to call it. The text is translated from the German wiki page. 76.97.245.5 (talk) 14:00, 16 March 2009 (UTC)


 * Plastic wrap doesn't work through van der Waals force, it works through differences in electric charges. -- MacAddct1984 (talk &#149; contribs) 17:47, 17 March 2009 (UTC)


 * I think you got two different things mixed up. What attracts cling wrap to surfaces when you pull it off the roll and what makes it stick.  I'll get back to y'all when I've found reliable sources. 76.97.245.5 (talk) 15:20, 23 March 2009 (UTC)


 * The clinging is due to the van der Waals force between the chlorine atoms, which is rather particular with PVC (and Saran = PVDC, its copolymer). This is e.g. explained in James N. Spencer, George M. Bodner, Lyman H. Rickard, Chemistry: Structure and Dynamics, 5th ed. (Wiley, 2010), p. 370. And I am sorry Macaddct1984, but you are wrong, plus you claim is not backed by your sources (nowhere did even the word "van der Waals" appear there). Besides, van der Walls is still a Coulomb interaction. -- Ylai (talk) 07:14, 26 October 2013 (UTC)


 * Did this section disappear? Although this is not howstuffworks.com, I do consider it's action/mechanics valuable, even enough so for it's own section. It is the whole point of the stuff. --Bacchuss (talk) 22:21, 7 January 2011 (UTC)

Date of invention?
If saran was invented in 1933 according to that article, and Saran wrap in 1949, and is a kind of plastic wrap, why does this article claim that plastic wrap was invented in 1953? Because Cling Film was invented in its current form at Rugby University in the United Kingdom by Ivan Hay by accident. --Vaughan Pratt (talk) 05:02, 15 November 2009 (UTC)
 * There isn't, and there never has been, a 'Rugby University' in the UK. There is a well known private high school in Rugby, but it's certainly not a university. --Ef80 (talk) 14:24, 27 March 2024 (UTC)

Consistency in Wrap Permeability
Some of the information under the "Materials used" section is contradictory.

In the third paragraph it is stated: However, LDPE does not possess the same barrier qualities to oxygen, aroma, and flavor molecules that vinylidene chloride copolymers do, making the new formulation a lower quality plastic wrap, as it is not as useful in protecting from spoilage or flavour loss.[citation needed] PVC is not impermeable, but adheres well. LDPE is impermeable but doesn't cling as well.[1] That in itself is contradictory, but further down we have:

I AM A NEW COMMENTER:: sorry friend but the contradictions are above: if LDPE does not possess the same barrier qualities (etc) then how is it the impermeable one? the author made his mistake there, and not below, which would seem to follow the correct line of thinking.

PVdC has better barrier properties than the more-permeable LDPE, making the foods wrapped in it less subject to freezer burn.[citation needed] However, LDPE is substantially cheaper and easier to make.

I don't know which is true, but if I ever find out I will correct it if it still needs to be. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Caichofschi (talk • contribs) 02:25, 8 November 2010 (UTC)

The citation attached to the third paragraph also contains a self-contradictory statement. In addition to the above quote, the referenced page also states that Clingy PVC wraps are preferable if you are transporting food or are worried about spills and leaks, but to keep foods fresh longer, select plastic wraps made from LDPE and reach for a box of our all-around winner. suggesting that LDPE is the permeable one. --Xthemage (talk) 04:21, 24 July 2012 (UTC)

→→RE: I think that there is ambiguous language being used that creates the confusion. For example 'lower quality'. While I agree that PE based plastic wraps are lower quality, this should not be included in the article. To clarify, there are two attributes being discussed which are independent of each other. 1. Adhesion and 2. Permeability/Breathability. In the first, PVC based cling film can be described as 'stickier' or more adhesive than PE cling films. This is generally preferable since the user wants the film to adhere to the surface of whatever it is placed on and especially to itself in order to create a tight protective seal around the product being wrapped. In the performance against spillage due to poor sealing of the film around the product, PVC film will prevent spillage much better than PE. The 2nd attribute describes the transference of specific things through the film. In the case of food products, it is generally preferable to have a certain level of permeability to allow the atmosphere within the sealed package to 'react' to changes caused by decomposition and settling of the food product. In this case, PVC cling film is actually more permeable than PE cling film for things like oxygen, carbon dioxide and water vapour. This increased permeability means that PVC based cling films actually allow the product to 'breath' while being storage which causes the decomposition of the product to be much slower than with PE cling film which has only very limited permeability. It is the combination of these two aspects that is the reason that industrial food manufacturers (meat packing, cheese and vegetables) use almost exclusively PVC cling film over PE based cling film. Rosscoland (talk) 07:18, 17 April 2014 (UTC)

LDPE repetitive
LDPE is discussed in the third paragraph of the "Materials used" section, including the fact that Saran Wrap switched to LDPE. The fifth paragraph then talks about LDPE as if it were being introduced for the first time, including the fact that Saran Wrap switched to LDPE. Is there a clean way to merge all this duplication? --Vaughan Pratt (talk) 04:30, 30 July 2011 (UTC)

Plastic Film
Plastic film redirects to this article, and it shouldn't. There are many kinds of film that are used for all sorts of purposes, and they really deserve their own article. Enon (talk) 21:17, 6 May 2012 (UTC)
 * Agree Rlsheehan (talk) 11:41, 7 May 2012 (UTC)
 * Agree. It should either be a disambugation page or this article should get another disambiguation link or it should redir to Film (disambiguation). —Ben FrantzDale (talk) 13:05, 7 May 2012 (UTC)

Melting Point
What is the melting temperature of plastic wrap? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 64.126.68.153 (talk) 02:32, 2 October 2012 (UTC)
 * Depends on what it's made of. According to this article PVC "softens when heated. Its processing temperature lies between 150 and 210 °C. ... Melting point: 212 °C."  The polyethylene article gives 105-115 &deg;C for low-density polyethylene (LDPE).
 * If these temperatures are at all reliable, one way to tell whether your plastic wrap is PVC or LDPE would be to bring your oven up to about 250-280 &deg;F (121-138 &deg;C) and see whether it melts a small sample. If it melts it's LDPE.  (I haven't tested this, it's based purely on those two sources, and for all I know there may be better tests.)  Vaughan Pratt (talk) 22:43, 7 October 2015 (UTC)

Article is biased
I think that this article has become biased over it's many edits. In the first paragraph, it is mentioned that cling film is made either from PVC, LDPE or LLDPE film, while the vast majority of film being produced is still PVC. It then goes on to mention that LDPE is a 'safer' alternative. It should be addressed that the use of the terms 'toxic' and 'much safer' should not be used in describing either PVC and PE based cling films as these are unproven generalisations that don't reflect the current status of either the PVC or the PE cling film markets.

This comment should be completely stricken: ''This article is about a plastic layer used for short-term preservation of domestic foods. For a plastic wrap often used in bulk packaging, see Shrink wrap.'' -- The vast majority of the cling wrap produced world wide for food processing is PVC based cling wrap used in meat, cheese and vegetable packaging on industrial farms and food processing plants while shrink wrap is a completely different product.

The reality is that PE is cheaper to make largely due to the lower price per kilo of PE based films in contrast to PVC resin which has risen dramatically in recent years due to increased demand in other PVC sectors (the construction industry makes up more than 2/3 of the PVC market). In the end, PE is a cheaper version of the PVC film. To evaluate one or the other as being better or worse, safer or more dangerous, is not the place of an wikipedia.org article and I would suggest striking any biased language from the entirety of the article. I would suggest instead that the arguments of environmental and public health be summarised into one paragraph where it is expressed that there is no definitive consensus on the topic. Which is true.

Historically, PVC did contain additives that were considered potentially dangerous in specific situations. However no studies have connected the use of these PVC cling films directly to health problems. However, due to legislation and restrictions on the levels of BEPA migration, among others, the production of PVC cling film adheres to strict regulation and as a result has largely changed the additives that are used as plasticisers in the film and the amounts of migration of such additives is minimal and well within the accepted range of public safety. An inaccuracy in the article is that countries have banned the use of PVC cling film. I tried to find information to support this, but what I did find is that no country has banned the use of PVC cling film.

Regarding the recyclability of the film, modern recycling facilities are capable to process PVC film (at least in Europe) and the problem with processing PVC cling film waste was largely due to the high temperatures necessary to process it. See http://www.vinylplus.eu/uploads/Progress%20report%202013/VinylPlus_-_AR2012_-_LONG_-_V17.pdf It seems the biggest barrier to recyclability is the relative low amount of cling film that is submitted for recycling and that public awareness/willingness could be affecting the success of PVC recycling.

I also think that there should be a sub-heading dedicated to specifying the differences in the qualities between PVC and PE based cling films and reiterated that the vast majority of the world's cling film production are PVC based films. In addition it should be clarified that the consumer/catering wrap industry makes up only a small percentage of cling film use. Also, to my knowledge, all major producers mentions (GLAD and SARAN) produce both PVC and LDPE version of their films depending on the use and market segment (premium, generic) of the film. If this information cannot be confirmed it should be omitted. In addition, mention of Glad Press'N'Seal is not related to this article as it is not a 'cling film' and certainly doesn't warrant an entire paragraph in the article.

As mentioned before, it is critical language describing PVC and PE cling films be stricken. PE cling film is almost exclusively (in volume terms) as pallet wrap and a link to this use should be made and a link to the Stretch Wrap article should be made since these are the same thing, just different uses and the terms are often interchangeable. Alternative uses of cling wrap can also be listed, for example, short-term treatment of burn victims, protective wrap to protect new tattoos. In both cases, PVC film is preferable to PE cling films due to the breathability of PVC which doesn't suffocate live tissue. An antibacterial agent can even be added which can aid in fighting infection. However, it is incorrect to say that either PE or PVC is more hygienic. To my knowledge there have been no studies on this and I believe that when correctly applied, the hygienic qualities will be the same. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Rosscoland (talk • contribs) 08:33, 17 April 2014 (UTC)


 * didnt read didnt ask nbdy cares 204.83.240.128 (talk) 21:02, 23 March 2023 (UTC)

Pliofilm
Would this also be considered pliofilm? There's no other mention of pliofilm on wikipedia, but it's historically significant. Used during WWII to prevent small firearms from coming into contact with moisture. It was even briefly featured in the movie "Saving Private Ryan." — Preceding unsigned comment added by 24.247.124.171 (talk) 00:59, 19 October 2016 (UTC)


 * Pliofilm was a rubber hydrochloride material developed by Goodyear. It would seem to fit in this article. Please go ahead and add content with supporting refs. Guffydrawers (talk) 07:40, 19 October 2016 (UTC)