Ethylene vinyl acetate compositions and tubing made therefrom

This invention relates to a tube prepared by the process comprising the steps of (1) blending polymer composition comprising (A) ethylene vinyl acetate copolymer and greater than 0.020% by weight of a cross-linking agent; or (B) a mixture of (a) a major amount of an ethylene vinyl acetate copolymer, (b) a minor amount of one or more polymers selected from (i) an propylene ethylene copolymer, (ii) at least one selectively hydrogenated block copolymer of a vinyl aromatic hydrocarbon and a conjugated diene, (iii) at least one selectively hydrogenated block copolymer of a vinyl aromatic hydrocarbon and a conjugated diene to which has been grafted with an alpha,beta-olefinically unsaturated monocarboxylic or dicarboxylic acid reagent, (iv) at least one terpolymer of an alpha-olefin, at least one acrylic ester, and an alpha,beta-olefinically unsaturated dicarboxylic acid reagent, or a glycidyl acrylate, (v) at least copolymer of an alpha-olefin and at least one acrylic ester, (vi) at least one vinyl aromatic hydrocarbon; and (vii) at least one polyetheramide block copolymer, and optionally, (c) a cross-linking agent provided that when (b) is (i), then the mixture includes the cross linking agent (c); and (2) extruding the polymer composition into the tube. The present invention also relates to polymer compositions for making the tubing. The tubes, especially medical tubes, of the present invention have improved kink resistance, coilability, clarity, flexibility and stability under sterilization conditions.