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I work in a research lab where we use small screws to attach onto hard objects and secure it with dental acrylic, to maintain durability. The screws are expensive, so when we are done with the particular project, we use a soldering iron to melt through the acrylic to get to the screws. I am concerned that when dental acrylic is heated, does it release toxins that can be harmful to my health?

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    $\begingroup$ VTCers, how is this a personal medical question? $\endgroup$
    – pentavalentcarbon
    Commented Jun 7, 2018 at 21:50
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    $\begingroup$ It should be done in a hood, a device to extract fumes, whether the fumes are dangerous or just an annoyance. $\endgroup$
    – DrMoishe Pippik
    Commented Jun 7, 2018 at 22:36

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What do you mean by acrylic, if it is PMMA. Then be aware that when it is heated that it cracks with unusual ease into the monomer (MMA) which is a strong irritant.

I have (in a fume hood) taken lumps of PMMA and heated them in a test tube with a bunsen, if you distill the product out and then redistill it you can get very pure methyl methacrylate. I have found that if you heat some of this MMA with some AIBN then it will then reform the PMMA.

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