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Abstract:
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Condoms are widely accepted as a contraceptive for family
planning and population control. It is also accepted as the most
effective barrier against sexually transmitted diseases,
especially AIDS, the incurable disease. But presence of pinholes
and low film strength of condoms make it unsuitable for the
purpose. Quality improvement of condoms by reducing the pinhole
formation and increasing the film strength is thus an essential
requirement for population control as well as for preventing the
spread of sexually transmitted diseases. Strict implementation
of WHO specification of condoms further increases the rejection
percentage. This causes higher rejection loss to condom
manufacturers because the defects could be identified only at
the final stage of processing. If the influence of various
factors which cause these defects is known, manufacturers can
take remedial measures to reduce the defectives so that
rejection loss can be decreased and quality of condoms
increased. In the present study, it was proposed to conduct experiments to improve the quality of condoms by reducing the pinhole rejection percentage and increasing the tensile properties, burst volume, and burst pressure. Ageing property improvement also was an important target among other parameters. Until a cure for AIDS is found, a high quality latex condom is the only effective device in the prevention of the spread of HIV, AIDS and STD's. Hence it is all the more necessary to have high quality condoms. |