Pressure-sensitive adhesives are weakly crosslinked resin/gum mixtures. These mixtures exhibit aggressive tackiness and reasonable adhesion to most surfaces. The tacky qualities allow quick application and easy removal. This easy removal feature permits adhesive tapes to be removed without transferring the adhesive to the mating substrate. Pressure-sensitive adhesives are usually employed in short-term uses. As a result, shelf life testing includes the retention of adhesive properties while aging in the roll form rather than after application. When evaluations are made in an application, testing is usually restricted to aging with the adhesive between panels or foils. This results in minimal direct contact of the adhesive with the environment. The objective of this study was to determine behavior of certain pressure-sensitive adhesive coatings in five accelerated environments. These coatings were exposed directly to the environment and evaluated over a 40-week exposure period. This evaluation includes samples with and without release papers covering the adhesive. Measurements of the adhesive properties and release characteristics as a function of exposure time were also made and evaluated. -- CCI