Understanding polymer degradation phenomena is of critical importance for material reliability. A novel dual stage chemiluminescence detection system has been developed and applied to probe for material interaction effects during polymer degradation. Evidence is presented for the first time that in an oxidizing environment a degrading polymer A (in this case polypropylene, PP) is capable of infecting a different polymer B (in this case polybutadiene, HTPB) over a relatively large distance. In the presence of the degrading material A, the thermal degradation of polymer B is observed over a significantly shorter time period. Infectious intermediate volatiles front material A are able to initiate and shorten the degradation processes in material B. This observation documents infectious behavior that will have significant consequences for materials interactions, understanding material degradation processes and long-term aging effects in combined material exposures. (c) 2005 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.