Table II. A sampling of time-temperature relationships for steam sterilization.

Sterilizing Plastic	Steam Sterilizing Response	Radiation Sterilizing Response	Ethylene Oxide Sterilizing Response	Dry Heat Sterilizing Response
Acetal	Good	No	Good	Good
Acrylic	Poor	Good	Good	—
Acrylonitrile butadiene styrene	Varies^a	Good	Varies	—
High-density polyethylene	Good	Good	Good	—
Nylon	Varies^a	Good	Good	No
Polycarbonate	Varies	Good	Good	Good
Polyester	Poor	Good	Good	—
Polyethylene	Poor^a	Good	Good	—
Polyglycolic acid	No	No	Good	—
Polymethyl pentene	Good	Poor	Good	OK, no load
Polypropylene	Good	Varies	Good	OK, no load
Polypropylene and polyethylene copolymer	Good	Good	Good	OK, no load
Polystyrene	Poor	Good	Good	—
Polysulfone	Good	Good	Good	Yes
Polyurethane	Poor	Good	Good	—
Polyvinyl chloride	Varies^a	Varies	Good	—
Polyvinylidene fluoride	Good	Good	Good	—
Silicone	Good	Good	Good	Low temp.
Teflon	Varies	No	Good	OK
a There are many materials that can be damaged by high-temperature heat, including acrylonitrile butadiene styrene, acrylic, styrene, low-density polyethylene, polyvinyl chloride, etc.; however, acetal, polypropylene, and Teflon could be possible candidates for heat because these materials can be damaged by radiation. Polyurethane may be hydrolytically attacked by steam but not by low-temperature dry heat, EtO, or radiation. Material compatibility and considerations need to be evaluated before accepting any sterilization method listed above. See Table III for other possible candidates.

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