I have the following components in products that will be coming in contact with sealants (and paint). The last time I took Chemistry was in High School; I recognize some of these as fairly ordinary, but am wondering if the sealants need to be “special”. (we’re using epoxy paints and coatings):
Hazardous Component % by Weight
- 2-phenylphenol 7.7
- o-benzyl-p-chlorophenol 7.7
- Isopropanol ~10.0
- Phosphoric acid ~14.0
- Dodecylbenzene sulfonic acid 5.0
- Hydrogen Peroxide 1.0
- Peracetic acid 0.08
- Acetic acid
It is my understanding that polysulfides are the most resistant to most chemicals including heavy duty cleaning agents.
There’s no way to know without going to a few manufacturers with the list and asking them. Some may have tested for these, others not, so the answer would not likely come from “what type of sealant” so much as “has it been tested” for these things. You also should ask the client what type of contact. On one end is incidental, where it is cleaned up right away, and on the other end is immersion (which is unlikely I suspect). This is an important determinant of chemical resistance.
Sigh. I was afraid of that response. We don’t want to use polysulfides, and there’s no time to submit to manufacturers. I’ve included the list above in the spec. I wish there were time to do it right, but that’s not going to happen.
Thanks, guys.