Toxic: Removing Problematic Chemicals from Plastics
While the health and environmental issues caused by PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances), further research and wider publicity is revealing that this category of forever chemicals is only the tip of the iceberg. PFAS are found in a huge variety of plastic products from food packaging, to synthetic textiles, to firefighting foam. Their functions are just as varied, with a range of over 4,700 different PFAS being added to polymers to improve features like flexibility, durability, insulation, conductivity and tolerance to varied environmental extremes.
Not just PFAS
This number of different PFAS alone poses widespread human and environmental health issues, but these issues become unimaginably greater when considering the huge array of other chemical additives used to improve plastics properties, their similar environmental permanence and variety of potential adverse effects. Some of the more common of these additives include:
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Bisphenols: These are used for the creation of various polycarbonates and resins, and are thought to cause damage to the reproductive and cardiovascular systems, as well as being potential carcinogens.
Ortho-phthalates: These improve softness and flexibility in various plastics, though are linked to a wide range of adverse health effects including developmental disorders, hormone disruption and cardiovascular diseases.
Nonylphenols: These are often used as antioxidants and plasticisers for food containers, though are well-known to have harmful environmental effects, particularly to aquatic life. Nonylphenols are known to bioaccumulate in aquatic organisms, impairing hormone function and reproductive fitness.
Heavy metals: Have historically been added to plastic products for various reasons, including as stabilisers, colour pigments, flame retardants and catalysts for polymerisation; these additives include such metals/metalloids as lead, cadmium, chromium and arsenic.
The adverse health effects of these metals is now well-known, but despite their discontinued use in most newer plastic products, the longevity of plastics generally has allowed them to permeate the environment through widespread plastic waste pollution. As with nonylphenols, these substances bioaccumulate in soils, waters and wildlife, creating a wide range of adverse health and environmental effects.
Global approach needed
Given the scale of potential impacts of chemical additives, the potential environmental impacts of “business as usual” plastics present an unimaginable ecological and public health challenge. It is clear that the best course of action involves a multi-faceted approach; tackling large-scale long-term sources of plastic pollution, phasing out harmful additives in favour of those with lesser adverse impacts, and improvement and widespread roll-out of environmental remediation measures.
A co-operative, international approach to this - most likely through implementation of the Global Plastics Treaty - could be the best approach, with skills, infrastructure and resources across signatories used to collectively find global solutions.
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For more information contact: info@scarabtrust.org.uk
Image: industrial refinery twilight - Photo by Igor Passchier (ST ref:1354)
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