Medical Plastic Innovation to Keep COVID-19 at Bay

A unique combination of long-standing expertise in the integrated petrochemical industry and a commitment to utilizing polymer materials to benefit society and achieve environmental sustainability are what motivate SCG Chemicals to create, design, and develop materials science innovation and technology to better safeguard healthcare workers from infection and enhance personal hygiene care.

Increasing front-line worker safety
As the COVID-19 pandemic is still seriously ravaging, front-line healthcare workers who work closely with patients are dealing with challenging times. Because of the increasing infection rate and a lack of personal protective equipment to keep the virus at bay, doctors, nurses, and those who work closely with patients are at a higher risk of contracting the virus.

With this need and urgency in mind, SCG Chemicals has merged its expertise in material sciences, engineering, and inventive design with the knowledge and experience of medical professionals to bring about a wide-ranging innovations that reduce infection risks among healthcare workers.

• Negative/Positive Pressure Isolation Chamber designed to allow for no-contact swab collection with the patient. It has arm slots for the operation, a fillet tray to capture specimen on the top, and the ability to modify the pressure to negative or positive as needed.
• Negative Pressure Isolation Room developed for use in emergency rooms, intensive care units, or patient wards, operating under negative pressure to prevent the virus from spreading outside. The room is divided into two sections: the outer part, which serves as a cloth change area and the disposal of infected waste, and the inner part that includes a ventilation compartment with multipurpose hooks for hanging essentials as well as a full compartment that connects wiring equipment and life support systems.
• Patient Isolation Capsule equipped with a virus filtration system with a 99.97%, allowing for efficient patient transportation.
• Small Patient Isolation Capsule for CT Scan created from a non-metallic material to allow for efficient CT Scan in infected patients.
• Isolation Capsule for Air Transport, the latest innovation designed to meet specific needs.  It is a more advanced piece of equipment designed to meet the needs of operations with space constraints that differ from standard transportation. The capsule is designed to be the appropriate shape and size for air transport in the small jet. Durable polyvinyl chloride (PVC) materials are used for safe operations and best results.
• Dent Guard is dental equipment that shields dentists from aerosols while performing dental procedures. It is made of extra-clear polyvinyl chloride (PVC), which is transparent, non-reflective of light, robust, lightweight, and easy to clean.
• Flexi Dent Guard is an upgraded version of Dent Guard that is customizable in terms of ergonomics and posture. The design offers an openable piece that helps facilitate the patient to come up for gargling. The disposable plastic sheet can be used to cover the structure for each patient.

What’s more, SCG Chemicals has developed a "Sharps Disposal Bin" designed with user safety in mind, allowing healthcare and public health workers to dispose of needles and syringes with a one-hand operation technique, eliminating the risks associated with needle extraction. It is built in a rectangular shape that can be neatly put in nurse carts and corners. The bin features handles for better portability while also keeping workers safe. It is also easy to assemble and space-efficient.

Making everyone's health a priority
SCG Chemicals never stops innovating and developing polymer innovations. It recently introduced SCG PP Melt-Blown, a high-value-added plastic resin to manufacture Melt-blown Fabrics for the medical industry. It is ASEAN's first of its kind to be certified to international standards.

SCG PP Melt-Blown is a high value-added plastic resin that is used to make face mask filter sheets out of Melt-blown Nonwovens, a fiber material made from plastic resins. Because it has a fiber diameter in the nanoscale and micrometer range, it is a popular choice for filters. This polymer innovation also lessens the country's dependence on importing such plastic resins to manufacture face masks, which is an excellent way to promote the country's public health system.

Another innovation that illustrates SCG's concern for the public is VAROGUARD, the antiviral product series designed to enhance confidence in persons with high-risk respiratory infections or those in crowded areas and vulnerable groups such as patients, the elderly, and children. The recently launched product as part of the series is VAROGARD Mask, the 3D high-performance single-use face mask incorporating antibacterial coating, a patent by HeiQ-Viroblock, Switzerland.

All these are part of the SCG Chemicals' products developed using material science know-how combined with collaborations from partners to bring the table plastic innovations to enhance the performance of public health workers and promote the quality of life of everyone in the country.