What is ESD?
ESD stands for Electrostatic Discharge and is more commonly known as static electricity. Static electricity is more than the shock experienced when touching a metal doorknob after walking across a carpeted room. Electrostatic discharge is defined as the transfer of charge between bodies at different electrical potentials.

Should you be concerned with ESD?
YES, especially if you are in the electronic industry. Electrostatic discharge can change the electrical characteristics of a semiconductor device, degrading or destroying it. Electrostatic discharge also may upset the normal operation of an electronic system, causing equipment malfunction or failure.

Why should you use BP Static Shield Poly Bags?
Shield bags provide the dissipative and antistatic attributes and have a metal shield polyester dielectric to stop static from entering the bag. When packaging components, especially in the electrical industry, utilizing static shield material and bags is crucial for safety and liability. BP Static Shield Bags will generally stop 97% of a 1000-volt static pulse applied to the outside of the bag from reaching the contents.

Is BP Metallic Static Shield Poly Tubing the same as BP Pink Antistatic Poly Tubing?
No. Pink antistatic or dissipative poly material keep the static electricity from building up on the package or device. However, they do not have a shielding ability. Static charge occurring outside the bag will penetrate the bag and damage the electronics inside. Moreover, pink poly will only stop about 10% of a 1000 volt static pulse. Pink poly bags are useful for packaging items that have no static susceptibility.

What do the symbols on the Static Shield Bags mean?
The ESD Susceptibility Symbol - the triangle means "caution" and the slash through the reaching hand means "Don't touch." Because of its broad usage, the hand in the triangle has become associated with ESD and the symbol literally translates to "ESD sensitive, don't touch."

The ESD Protective Symbol consists of the reaching hand in the triangle. An arc around the triangle replaces the slash. This "umbrella" means protection. The symbol indicates ESD protective material.