Plasticized polyolefin compositions

A sterilized article comprising a plasticized polypropylene composition comprising polypropylene and one of more non-functionalized plasticizers where the non-functionalized plasticizer comprises C6 to C1500 paraffins having a kinematic viscosity of 10 cSt or more at 100° C., a specific gravity of 0.700 to 0.860 and a viscosity index of 120 or more, wherein elastomers are substantially absent from the composition, and where ethylene homopolymers and copolymers having a weight average molecular weight of from 500 to 10,000, are not added deliberately to the plasticized polypropylene composition and if said ethylene homopolymers and copolymers are present, said ethylene homopolymers and copolymers are present at less than 1 weight %, wherein the article is formed by a process selected from the group consisting of extrusion, blowing, blow-molding, and lamination and the article has been subjected to an amount of radiation sufficient to sterilize the article, wherein the increased radiation tolerance of the article is evidenced by at least 20% greater Gardner impact strength after treatment with up to 10 MRads of gamma or beta radiation than would be found for the same article made from the polypropylene alone which has been subjected to the same radiation dose.

A sterilized nonwoven article comprising a plasticized polyolefin composition comprising one or more polyolefins and one of more non-functionalized plasticizers where the non-functionalized plasticizer comprises C6 to C1500 paraffins having a kinematic viscosity of 10 cSt or more at 100° C., a specific gravity of 0.700 to 0.860, and a viscosity index of 120 or more, wherein elastomers are substantially absent from the composition and where ethylene homopolymers and copolymers having a weight average molecular weight of from 500 to 10,000 are substantially absent, and wherein the article has been subjected to an amount of radiation sufficient to sterilize the article.