Some players and field owners have requested third party toxicology reports for the BB Bastard product line. The information below is designed to answer some of these important questions so that customers may have peace of mind when using BB Bastard BBs.
SVHC Testing
Attached here is the European SVHC report, which covers dangerous and banned substances most commonly found in consumer products. As you can see, BB Bastard have no detectable traces of any of these substances in its products.
ECOBB Formulation
BB Bastard offers a bio-bb alternative with a proven formula for environmentally friendly BB products that break down at a much faster rate than regular styrene BBs. ECOBBs are made from, drum roll please, corn. Its actually based on polymer extracted from the corn called PLA by a company called "Natureworks" and has passed decomposition testing for several countries (DIN V54900-1(Germany), ASTM D6400(USA), EN13432(EU), Green Pla(Japan)). This polymer combined with mineral powder (which permits fine seamless polishing) enables us to maintain virtually the same finished quality as a styrene BB. The end result is a product that in the presence of carbon dioxide and water will break down completely in about 90 days.
Since water is the primary activator, specific measures have been taken with ECOBB packaging to ensure you can still store a partially used bag of ECOBBs and use them without concern. In the past, premature decomposition would leave a greasy white trail in your feedpath - ECOBBs will not prematurely decompose if left in its original packaging. One big difference with ECOBBs, is unlike past PLA formulas, ECOBBs are not particularly light sensitive and light does not trigger the decomposition process (see competitors colored or silver reflective bags for ones that are).
BB Bastard believes its cracked the quality and polish issues with this ECO product so you can be assured of the performance characteristics you've come to expect from a BB Bastard brand BB product. Pricing is also very competitive with other ECOBB products, so you're also not going to have to spend an arm and a leg shooting these BBs.
Biological activation and breakdown of this product is delayed in comparison to past BioBB products (primarily starch based ones) and in combination with a unique bag design, we're sure you can use half a bag, close it, put it away, and come back to it the next game, and there will be no breakdown. As long as the remainder of the ECOBB product is sealed in its original bag, decomposition will not be triggered!
ECOBBs are available in 3 weights this season, .20gr, .25gr, and the ever popular .28gr !
ABS Styrene
It is important to understand that ABS Styrene is not Polystyrene. These are two different products with two completely different sets of properties. BB Bastard does not use polystyrene in it's BB product.
The main component of the regular label product BB Bastard BBs is Styrene. While BB Bastard offers its ECOBB line of BBs for faster degredation of BBs after they've been expended on an outdoor field, the traditional styrene based product should not be dismissed as an environmental negative option.
SIRC (The Styrene Information and Research Center) was formed to answer public and industry concerns about styrene. This information is available online, but key conclusions are as follows:
- A report on a styrene risk assessment by the [PDF]Harvard Center for Risk Analysis also concluded that there are no concerns for the general public, either from environmental or consumer exposures to styrene.
- Extensive research shows that styrene exists only briefly in the environment (edit: slow in comparison to ECOBB material); it is destroyed rapidly in the air and disappears quickly from soils and surface waters. Studies also have shown that styrene is not likely to occur in drinking water. Additional information can be found under Environmental Fate Research.
- SIRC has invested many years and some $14 million in funding to develop the most thorough and accurate information about possible cancer effects resulting from styrene exposure. The results of extensive health studies of workers in styrene-related industries collectively show that exposure to styrene does not increase the risk of developing cancer or any other health effect.
For more information about Styrene, see http://www.styrene.org/faqs.html