Helmet Life

[OakLeaf]

I assume you're referring to DesertTortoise's question and not Gypsy's.

But the CPSC standard in the USA calls for helmets to be held at a maximum of 53°C (127°F) for a maximum of 24 hours.

I don't recall that the warehouse temperatures were much above that, if at all, but items could've been stored there for much longer periods.

I don't know what temperatures have been like in your area, but the fact that you've "worn" helmets in those temperatures is no proof of anything, unless you also crashed them and they performed to specification.

Plastic DOES degrade at high temperature, or when it's exposed to organic solvents like body acids and oils and cosmetic products we put on our faces and hair. EPS is especially fragile because of the way the beads are bonded together. It's meant to be fragile. That's the point of it and how it absorbs impact. As I said to Tom way back when, all you have to do is pick up an EPS cup that's been outside for a few months and crumble it in your hands. The beads don't degrade appreciably, I don't suppose, but the bonds between them do, and those are the parts of a helmet that count.

A helmet can be had for $30 and for no more than $300. Rehabilitation after a traumatic brain injury - if you even survive it - you get the idea. I've had one concussion (with a helmet) and consider myself very lucky that I'm not aware of any lasting effects. Any time I have to guess about a helmet, I'm going to guess in favor of buying a new one. No one here has identified herself as a plastics scientist with specific experience in EPS, and given that, asking about it here is no different from guessing. New helmet. That's all.