The surface degradation and production of low molecular weight oxidized materials (LMWOM) on biaxially oriented polypropylene (BOPP) and low-density polyethylene (LDPE) films was investigated and compared for two different dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) treatment types, namely air corona and nitrogen atmospheric pressure glow discharge (N-2 APGD). Contact angle measurements, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and atomic force microscopy (AFM) analyses were performed in conjunction with rinsing the treated films in water. It is shown that N-2 APGD treatments of both polyolefins result in much less surface degradation, therefore, allowing for a significantly higher degree of functionalization and better wettability. Hydrophobic recovery of the treated films has also been studied by monitoring their surface energy (gamma(s)) over a period of time extending up to several months after treatment. Following both surface modification techniques, the treated polyolefin films were both found to undergo hydrophobic recovery; however, for N-2 APGD modified surfaces, gamma(s) ceases to decrease after a few days and attains a higher stable value than in the case of air corona treated films. (C) 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.