The Plastics Chemicals Review paints a worrying picture of thousands of compounds for which there is little safety data, and recommends measures to protect human health from them. More than 4,200 plastic chemicals are of particular concern because they are persistent, bioaccumulative, mobile, and/or toxic. All commonly used plastics have been recorded to contain harmful chemicals.
The report identified more than 16,000 chemicals, impurities, and degradation products that may be used in the production of plastics. The aim is to synthesize existing scientific knowledge to help decision makers identify chemicals of concern, biologist Martin Wagner from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NUST) explained in an online presentation. .
As part of the PlastChem project, a database of known plastic chemicals has been compiled. Chemicals included 3674 colorants, 3028 processing aids, 1687 lubricants, 1252 biocides, 883 plasticizers, 843 odorants, and 764 light stabilizers. included.
The report listed 15 priority groups of concern, including phthalates, organometallic substances, perfluoroalkyl substances and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). The report recommended regulating such chemicals as a class rather than requiring individual exposure data on thousands of individual entities.
“You may be familiar with PFAS, which are notoriously persistent, but what we discover in this report is that there are many other groups of chemicals of concern that are not getting the attention they deserve.” Wagner said.
The research team conducted their analysis using scientific reports and national regulatory databases. While there was information about around 6,000 chemicals present in plastics, “for over 9,000 chemicals we simply don’t have this information. This is due to a lack of transparency regarding plastic chemicals.” “We’re showing that they are,” said NUST toxicologist Laura Monclas.
The report found that more than a quarter of known plastic chemicals lack basic information, and more than half have vague or missing information about their function or use. Hazard information is required for proper assessment, yet hazard information is lacking for more than 10,000 compounds. “Very few of these chemicals are actually regulated on a global scale,” Wagner said. “The reason is very simple: there are simply too many plastic chemicals.”
Many of these chemicals have been detected in people around the world, the report said. The report warned: “New research using advanced methods to study previously known plastic chemicals shows that this is likely the tip of the iceberg.” A recent study estimates the U.S. disease burden from plastics to be $249 billion (196 billion pounds) in 2018.
The report makes four key recommendations. A group-based approach to identifying plastic chemicals and prioritizing the 3,600 currently unregulated chemicals. The report also advocates for greater transparency about the composition of plastics to aid in safety assessments.
Finally, the report recommended knowledge-sharing platforms and international cooperation to address the issue of potentially dangerous plastic chemicals. “We want to make plastics that are safer and more sustainable,” Wagner said.
