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Additive release from plastics in environmental and biological fluids
Citation:
Lewis, A., L. Ferguson, J. Sipe, M. Wiesner, A. Williams, AND C. Lowe. Additive release from plastics in environmental and biological fluids. Microplastics, Ascona, N/A, SWITZERLAND, November 06 - 11, 2022. https://doi.org/10.23645/epacomptox.22009472
Impact/Purpose:
N/A
Description:
To match exponential increases in plastic manufacturing and the expanding diversity of material applications, production of performance-enhancing polymer additives has also greatly increased. Many polymer-associated chemicals (PAC) are not covalently bound to the polymer and may leach out of the material to the surrounding environment. And now, plastic debris is ubiquitously present in aquatic environments and organisms. Defining polymer additives and their fate in environmental media after plastic particle release is crucial to predicting exposure in comprehensive risk assessments of PACs. Research concerning the consequences of ecological exposure to plastic particles has yet to holistically consider the vastness of known PAC space, in concert with the leaching behavior of individual polymer additives under relevant environmental and biological conditions of exposure. The wide array of PACs includes intentionally added chemicals for enhancement of material properties or polymer protection in its intended application. Generally, PACs include synthetic organic chemicals (e.g., dyes, flame retardants, plasticizers, lubricants, antioxidants, and UV inhibitors), inorganic or organic particulate additives (e.g., nanoclays, carbon nanotubes, and inorganic pigments in polyolefin plastics), and surface coatings such as polyfluorinated alkyl substances (PFAS) which confer water/stain repellency. Additionally, incomplete polymerization or polymer degradation may result in residual or regenerated monomers, oligomers, and transformation products, which may also pose an exposure risk to ecological receptors. Well-informed models are needed to assess leaching of PAC from plastics into simulated sweat, lung fluid, ambient waters, and digestive environments encountered by nano-/microplastics ingested by various organisms. Chemical and physical properties of more than 40 common polymers, nearly 7,000 PACs, and the above leaching environments were systematically parameterized by incorporating existing (experimental and predicted) data available for these properties and data generated through laboratory experimentation. This presentation presents highlights from a comprehensive review of PAC space and leaching behavior via existing literature, experimental data, and curated polymer additive databases— with the intention of informing model design for describing polymer additive release into susceptible ecological receptors. The views expressed in this abstract are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the views or policies of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
URLs/Downloads:
DOI: Additive release from plastics in environmental and biological fluids
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