Environmental and health hazards of chemicals in plastic polymers and products
Abstract
Plastics are extremely diverse in terms of chemical composition, properties and possible applications, and are widely distributed in the society and the environment. In the last 15 years the global annual production has doubled, reaching 245 million tons in 2008. Several of the chemicals used to produce
plastics are hazardous for human health and the environment. These, and their degradation products, may be released during the life cycle of a plastic product. The plastic polymers are not considered as toxic, but in plastic products there may be non-bound residual monomers, polymerisation chemicals,
degradation products, and additives which have toxic properties.
The overall aim of this thesis, which is based on five papers [I-V], was to study the
environmental and health hazards of chemicals in plastic polymers and products. Leaching tests, toxicity tests and Toxicity Identification Evaluations (TIEs) were made on plastic products [I, II], synthetic textiles [III], and discarded electronic products [IV]. A hazard ranking model was developed and used to rank plastic polymers based on monomer composition and environmental and health hazard classifications [V]. Also other hazardous substances needed to produce each polymer were identified [V].
Substances causing acute toxicity to Daphnia magna (water flee) leached from one third of all 83 plastic products/textiles even during short term (1-3 d) leaching in deionised water [I-III]. The toxic leachates came mainly from products that were soft to semi-soft, i.e. plasticised PVC (11/13) and polyurethane (3/4), and from epoxy products (5/5), and from synthetic textiles made of various
plastic fibres [I-III]. The electronic product leachates that were acutely toxic came from mixed material and metal components, and not from plastics components. TIEs, performed on some leachates, indicated that the major toxicants were hydrophobic organics for the plastic product and synthetic textile leachates [I-III], and metals for the electronic product leachates [IV].
The polymers ranked as most hazardous are made of monomers classified as mutagenic and/or carcinogenic (category 1A or 1B). These belong to the polymer families of polyurethanes, polyacrylonitriles, PVC, epoxy resins, and styrenic copolymers (ABS, SAN and HIPS), and have a large global production (1-37 million tons/year). A considerable number of polymers, 31 out of 55, are made of monomers that belong to the two highest of the ranking model’s five hazard levels [V].
Examples of such polymers, with a large global production (1-5 million tons/year), are phenol
formaldehyde resins, unsaturated polyesters, polycarbonate, polymethyl methacrylate, and ureaformaldehyde resins [V].
The ranking model was useful for identifying and comparing hazardous substances, and the
results from the hazard identification can be used for further hazard and risk assessment for decisions on the need for risk reduction measures, substitution or phase out.
In conclusion, considering the extensive dispersion in the society and the environment, the growing production, and the release and use of many hazardous chemicals, it is important to further assess the risks of chemicals associated with plastic polymers and products.
Parts of work
I. Lithner, D., Damberg, J., Dave, G., Larsson, Å., 2009. Leachates from plastic
consumer products – Screening for toxicity with Daphnia magna. Chemosphere 74,
1195-1200. ::doi::10.1016/j.chemosphere.2008.11.022 II. Lithner, D., Nordensvan, I., Dave, G., 2011. Comparative acute toxicity of leachates
from plastic products made of polypropylene, polyethylene, PVC, acrylonitrilebutadiene-
styrene and epoxy to Daphnia magna. ::doi::10.1007/s11356-011-0663-5 III. Lithner, D., Ivåker, J., Dave, G., 2011. Comparative acute toxicity of leachates from
synthetic textiles made of plastic fibres to Daphnia magna. Manuscript. IV. Lithner, D., Halling, M., Dave, G., 2011. Toxicity of electronic waste leachates to
Daphnia magna - Screening and Toxicity Identification Evaluation of different
products, components and materials. ::doi::10.1007/s00244-011-9729-0 V. Lithner, D., Larsson, Å., Dave, G., 2011. Environmental and health hazard ranking
and assessment of plastic polymers based on chemical composition. Science of the Total Environment 409 (18), 3309-3324.
::doi::10.1016/j.scitotenv.2011.04.038 ERRATUM: Lithner, D., Halling, M., Dave, G., 2012. Errata to: Toxicity of electronic waste leachates to
Daphnia magna - Screening and Toxicity Identification Evaluation of different
products, components and materials. ::doi::10.1007/s00244-012-9756-5
Degree
Doctor of Philosophy
University
Göteborgs universitet. Naturvetenskapliga fakulteten
Institution
Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences ; Institutionen för växt- och miljövetenskaper
Disputation
Fredagen den 6 maj 2011, kl. 10.00, Hörsalen, Carl Skottbergs gata 22B.
Date of defence
2011-05-06
delilah.lithner@gmail.com
Date
2011-04-15Author
Lithner, Delilah
Keywords
plastics
plastic products
plastic polymers
consumer products
environmental hazards
environment
health hazards
human health
hazard ranking
hazard assessment
chemical ranking
hazard identification
hazard classifications
hazardous chemicals
hazardous substances
toxic substances
monomers
polymers
toxicity
acute toxicity
toxicity tests
Daphnia magna
Toxicity Identification Evaluation
TIE
leaching
leachates
product leachates
leaching tests
plastic materials
plastic
Publication type
Doctoral thesis
ISBN
978-91-85529-46-9
Language
eng
Metadata
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