Silicones Environmental, Health, and Safety Center (SEHSC)
Betsy Beckwith
Providing Energy Savings
When silicones are used in the consumer product sector, they provide significant energy savings.
Learn moreSilicone Facts
- Silicones are used across some of the most strenuous and yet some of the most sensitive applications.
- They add "industrial" to the "strength" of coatings, sealants and joints in skyscrapers, bridges, highways and ocean vessels.
- Used in personal care products and health care, they make lotions, topical medications and skin adhesives easy to apply and less irritating.
- Regardless of the application, silicones' wide-ranging properties make them a key ingredient in thousands of consumer and industrial materials.
- Silicones' versatility stems from their performance and protective qualities.
Silicone Chemistry Infographics
Silicones are produced by reacting silicon—one of the earth's most common elements- with methyl chloride and further reaction with water which removes the chlorine atom. This reaction produces polymers that are resistant to high and low temperatures and are used in thousands of products in applications including health care, transportation (e.g., aerospace and automotive), textiles, electronics, and construction.