State-of-the-art review on hazardous substances in plastics (PlastChem project)

Plastics are important for many aspects of our everyday lives, such as food packaging, medicine, and electronics. However, plastic products also contain thousands of chemicals that are released during and after use. For instance, chemicals leaching from packaging can contaminate the food we eat. This is a problem because many chemicals used in plastics can have negative impacts on our health and the environment. Another problem is that plastic products are chemically very complicated, so we do not know all the substances in them. Therefore, we need to understand better how they affect us and the environment. Governments in Europe and across the world have agreed to reduce the negative impacts of plastics on human health and the environment. One way to do so is to create a circular economy in which plastic materials and products are reused instead of thrown away. Removing toxic chemicals from plastics is an important part of this strategy. The PlastChem project supports these efforts by summarizing the current scientific knowledge on the chemicals in plastics. The project has produced a report that answers the following questions: Which and how many substances are used in plastic? The project collected information on more than 16 000 chemicals that are potentially used or present in plastics and created a database with information on these substances. The chemicals fulfill several functions in plastics and most of them are used as processing aids (to help during manufacturing plastics), additives (to create desired properties), and starting substances (raw materials to make plastics). More than 9 billion tons of plastic chemicals are produced each year on a global scale. Which chemicals are the most problematic for our health and the environment? The project identified so-called chemicals of concern in plastics. These are chemicals that are harmful to humans or the environment because they are persistent (do not degrade), bioaccumulate (build up in the body), mobile (spread easily) or toxic (cause damage to wildlife or humans). This information is only available for about one third of all plastic chemicals showing that we do not know whether the rest is safe or not. More than 4200 plastic chemicals have one or more of these problematic properties and can, therefore, be harmful for humans and/or the environment. Very few of these chemicals are regulated internationally and PlastChem has produced a list of the most concerning chemicals in plastics that should be dealt with. This includes 15 groups of plastic chemicals that are particularly concerning, including bisphenols, phthalates, and PFASs (“forever chemicals”). In which plastics and products are these chemicals used in? The PlastChem project then collected additional evidence on which of these chemicals are used in which plastics. The project found that over 1300 problematic chemicals are either sold for being used in plastics or have been detected in plastics in scientific studies. Depending on the plastic material, up to two out of three plastic chemicals used can be of concern. Problematic chemicals can be used or present in all major plastic types (e.g., polystyrene, polyethylene) for which there is enough data. This highlights the need to remove these chemicals from plastic products. What can be done to remove them? The report suggests that policymakers take four actions to make plastics safer: 1. Remove problematic chemicals from plastics. 2. Create more transparency on which chemicals are used in which plastics. 3. Produce simpler plastic materials and products that contain fewer chemicals. 4. Help countries, authorities, industries, and scientists to make plastics safer and more sustainable. Politicians and other decision makers can use this scientific report to tackle the problem of problematic chemicals and make plastic products safer. This will not only promote our transition to a circular economy for plastics but also help to improve the health of the public and of nature.

The PlastChem project delivered the following outcomes: 1. State-of-the-Science Report on Plastic chemicals including - synthesis of the scientific evidence on >16 000 plastic chemicals, - grouping these chemicals, - prioritization of chemicals of concern and relevant groups based on their hazards, - additional strategies for further prioritization, - framework to prioritize polymers of concern, - policy recommendations to tackle the issue of chemicals and polymers of concern 2. PlastChem database - containing all information pertinent to the report as public and open resource 3. Eight project presentations for policymakers, stakeholders, and the public 4. Extensive media coverage on the report and the issue of plastic chemicals Impacts of PlastChem While the impacts of the project continue to unfold, PlastChem has created awareness of the issue of plastic chemicals amongst governments involved in the global plastics treaty negotiations and provided them with the scientific evidence needed to address this challenge. This is documented by the presentation of the report in multiple policy fora and the use of the report in certain country positions. Beyond the impacts on policymakers, the project also created a wider public awareness of the issue of plastic chemicals as documented by multiple media reports.

Despite plastics being widely used in and highly relevant for societies, the knowledge base on their chemical composition and the impacts of plastic chemicals on humans and the environment is fragmented. Accordingly, an authoritative resource that enables evidence-based policy development to better protect public health and nature is missing. The PlastChem project will produce such resource in form of a high-quality state-of-the-art review that synthesizes the scientific evidence on hazardous substances in plastics and prioritize these chemicals and the polymers they are contained in. To achieve this, the project will consolidate information on >15000 plastic chemicals from existing databases, polymer mass flows, scientific and market data to systematically compile hazard and exposure information on chemicals and polymers. The resulting PlastChem database will be used to group plastic chemicals according to structure and to prioritize groups of chemicals using a weight-of-evidence approach, considering hazard, exposure, and market data. The priority chemicals will be linked to the polymers they are contained in based on empirical evidence (i.e., detection in plastics). In addition, we will evaluate the whole-migrate-toxicity of all chemicals leaching from plastic products, thus, including unknown chemicals and mixture effects. Both will be used to prioritize polymers widespread in society and nature, and relevant for a circular economy. To ensure policy relevance, we will assess and prioritize regulatory needs in close collaboration with the advisory board and other experts. This interaction will also guide the project implementation and ensure that the state-of-the-art review is tailored to the pertinent policy needs. The review and the PlastChem database as main project outputs will be authoritative resources for developing policies that promote a non-toxic environment in line with the Chemical Strategy for Sustainability and the global plastic treaty.