Originally Posted by
jdchess
PVC can and does have damaging effects over time. It's b/c of the chemical make-up. Polyvinyl-chloride (PVC) releases chloride gas over time which can damage items around it. It's effects were not known until fairly recently though. There are also some possible health and environmental effects. It was used a lot during the time these sleeves would have been produced. It wouldn't necessarily have an effect on how the game played, but on the cosmetics of the cart (label). Plus, I'm thinking about extra long-term storage, and hopefully passing this collection on to my son one day.
I'm not even sure where to start...
I mean no offense, jdchess, when I say your assumptions are way off base.
I think what we have here is someone taking a few "facts" out of context and mixing it with a little 1st semester organic chemistry.
I'm a chemist. Let me assure you that the unbelievably small amount of any chemical released after long term breakdown of PVC couldn't possibly damage the label, the ink on the label or the adhesive used to stick the label to the cartridge. That's assuming the PVC is breaking down in the first place...which it isn't. Under ambient conditions, the sleeves (and cartridges for that matter) will last longer than any of us here.