Pliofilm
Brand of plastic wrap / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Pliofilm was a plastic wrap made by the Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company at plants in the US state of Ohio. Invented in the early 1930s, it was made by dissolving rubber in a benzene solvent and treating it with gaseous hydrochloric acid. Pliofilm was more stable in a range of humidities than earlier cellulose-based wraps and became popular as a food wrap. Its manufacture exposed workers to carcinogenic benzene and, when an additive was used to improve durability, caused dermatitis.
Production of Pliofilm was hampered during World War II because the Japanese occupation of much of Southeast Asia cut off much of the rubber supply. During the war years production was given over entirely to military purposes, with Pliofilm being used to wrap machinery and to waterproof firearms. After the war a plant was opened in Wolverhampton, England, and commercial production continued until the late 1980s.