I sent this question to Cecil, but since I don’t know when or if he will get around to it, I’m posting it here too. When the new credit card comes, you can finally feel free to fold or otherwise mutilate the old one. When you do, you always get a weird but not really unpleasant smell. Apparently when you pull the plastic polymer apart, it releases some volatile fragment with an odor. Anyone know what it is?
The Chemistry of Credit Cards - ElementsDatabase.com
I’m sure one of the resident chemists will be along shortly and offer a detailed explanation of PVCA and the outgassing that occurs when you mutilate an old card. My money is on men’s cards when mutilated release pent up gases accumulated due to years in close proximity a natural outgassing producer. For women, probably close proximity to cosmetics. Other than that, I got nothing.
I would guess that the smell is the plasticizers. Often these are long chain alcohols, and they are slightly volatile, and likely have some smell. Part of the new car smell is down to these apparently. Over time they will evaporate, which is one reason why some plastics go brittle over time.