Teach me about pony cancer, please?

[Luxrayx]

Pony cancer has always fascinated me in a way. I actually like that ponies could catch a cronic illness. I have done some searching around to learn more about it, but now i wish to ask the community directly, if mods are okay with it

Is it possible to cure?
Does it spread?
 Which ponies are in the danger-zone?
 Can fakies catch it/Do they catch it more easily due to quality?
 What is the average age of cancerous ponies?
What is the difference between regrind, cancer and age spots?
Do newer ponies have stronger plastic, to prevent it?
Could animal friends catch it? 
Are there any more common areas on a pony that get the spots?
How much does cancer lower a pony's value?
 Are there only G1s with reported cancer, or could certain, older G2s catch it too?

Okay, those are the main questions i would like solved, but i'd love to learn other things too
I'd also love to see some photos of cancer.
Be my cancer teacher, please? I'd like to learn!

[mlp4me]

This is a very common topic and comes up often, usually weekly.

Many of us have ponies that have cancer/regrind that we store next to ponies that don't have cancer and have found it doesn't spread. From what I understand it's all about the environment....

I'll give you quick answers. I'm sure others will chime in to add more.
Is it possible to cure? Sort of, sunfading, h202 soaks can be helpful.
Does it spread? no.
 Which ponies are in the danger-zone? any pony can develop
 Can fakies catch it/Do they catch it more easily due to quality? yes, any plastic can deteriorate in any manner.
 What is the average age of cancerous ponies? G1's are most common, seems any pony can get if exposed to right conditions.
What is the difference between regrind, cancer and age spots? regrind=other plastic mixed with plastic. cancer/age spots are deterioration/discoloration of plastic
Do newer ponies have stronger plastic, to prevent it? Good question. They're still new, but if exposed to the right conditions, humidity, dirt....
Could animal friends catch it?  made of plastic... cancer is not contageous.
Are there any more common areas on a pony that get the spots? No, not one specific area is suspecitble.
How much does cancer lower a pony's value? Depends on the pony.
 Are there only G1s with reported cancer, or could certain, older G2s catch it too? Seems that harder plastic ponies may not be as suspectable, but you never know...
Just remember, cancer spots have been proven to not be contageous. Store your ponies in a non-humid area. Plasticizer leaking ponies are gross and sticky and personally I do separate them from other ponies.
Here's one of the sticked threads http://mlparena.com/mlp/index.php/topic,302216.msg292637.html#msg292637

[lovesbabysquirmy]

It's just plastic breaking down and deteriorating.  After all, Hasbro did not design MLP with the intent that they would last decades and decades - they were/are children's toys.  So the soft permeable vinyl they used often has imperfections.  Adding different chemicals or reground plastic to the mix made it worse sometimes.  The factories weren't sparkling clean, air filtered establishments either, so lots of debris got trapped in the vinyl while the ponies were in production. 

Cancer doesn't "spread" like a medical cancer.  It spreads as various plastics have various "shelf life",which is completely individualized to each batch and lot of produced ponies.  Which is why a pony that was once perfect can suddenly develop cancer spots, or a pony can start breaking down within a few years of its purchase. 

Storage conditions can speed the process of deterioration, but nothing can STOP the process entirely.  To know whether ALL ponies in all generations and accessories and such will develop it probably would require an answer from an experienced chemist... which is NOT me. 

Edit: 

Long explanation, short answer:  It's not a matter of "if", it's a matter of "when". 

If you plan to keep collecting G1s for say, another 30-40 years, you eventually have to come to the reality that you have to get over this happening to your beloved ponies; these PVC vinyl brushable horses start to break down throughout several different climate changes in their "lifetime".  Remember they were made in factories which are impossible to keep dust-free (flocking, anyone?)as  they cured in molds AND spent 6+ months at sea being shipped to North America. Especially if they are secondhand market, it still doesn't matter whether you paid triple digits or 50 cents for the pony, even MIB will begin to break down and develop it. 

Of course, if you DON'T plan on collecting MLP for that long... *shrugs*  It's your collection and at least your ponies will probably go to other collectors if you ever choose to sell.    Very subjective stuff!

[angela22]

I dunno but I HATE it. There are now no ponies with cancer in my collection cuz I ousted them if they had it. 

[hathorcat]

lol @ mlp4me - it is indeed a weekly discussion point! But I guess the more we discuss it the more we learn...I ll try and add thoughts but its pretty much been covered above.

Is it possible to cure?
No - you cant "cure" a plastic breakdown. However, you can perhaps reduce the spread of the brown colour which results from the breakdown in the plastic, its plasticisers and bromides - I have seen people have success with acetone into the breakdown in order to react with the chemical and also some work on a sunfading/peroxide combination. As mentioned this doesnt get rid of the "cancer", it simply removes or reduces the colouring which has happend. Once its been there the colour will probably come back in the same or other points on the pony as the plastic continues to breakdown.

Does it spread?
Nope - its a break down in the plastic that cant spread to other ponies. However once the integrity of the plastic in the pony starts to break down, it is likely other parts of that same plastic item will likewise experience issues - therefore cancer cant spread from pony to pony but can spread across the same pony.

Which ponies are in the danger-zone?
Every single one...although of course some are much more prone to developing it.

Can fakies catch it/Do they catch it more easily due to quality?
Yes, any plastic can "breakdown" but as this is a MLP forum it is of course raised as an issue for genuine MLP more than anything else but whether they are more prone to it I dont think we can tell.

What is the average age of cancerous ponies?
20-30 years I guess as it is currently a predominately G1 issue

What is the difference between regrind, cancer and age spots?
They are all a break down in plastic - just different kinds of breakdown. Regrind is a result of regrind plastic which had been mixed with new plastic "separating" out into its original form. Cancer/age marks are a result of flame retardant chemicals in the plastic breaking down.

Do newer ponies have stronger plastic, to prevent it?
Its probably a different type/mix of plastic and yes over the years the development of production of light plastic goods has improved dramatically. In addition due to health & safety and technology improvements the flame retardant chemicals and plastic regrind and plasticisers [the causes of the issues you are asking about] are worked differently in plastic manufacturing now. So although I dont think we know for certain and although the plastic on newer ponies will indeed break down with time - I suspect it will take longer and not be as aggressive as we see with G1.

Could animal friends catch it? 
Again yes in theory - any plastic can and will break down - but they are made of a different kind and in a different process so its much less likely.

Are there any more common areas on a pony that get the spots?
Could be anywhere

How much does cancer lower a pony's value?
Significantly most of the time as it is pretty much incurable but it can also depend on which pony it is - "cancer" will devalue a Punzie but she ll still be more expensive than a Mimic even with cancer.

Are there only G1s with reported cancer, or could certain, older G2s catch it too?
As above - G1s are the main source - maybe its an age think but its more likely down to production processes as well.

[partypony566]

I hate that darn pony cancer my Quarterback has it.