<
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2023/may/25/toxins-in-plastics-industrys-dirty-secret-recycling-not-answer>
"Sometimes it feels like we are simply drowning in plastic. Over the past five
decades plastic products have found their way into almost every aspect of our
daily lives. Global plastic production has reached a total of 8bn tonne –
that’s 1 tonne for every person currently on the planet – with plastic
pollution expected to triple by 2060.
Current best estimates are that only about 10% of plastic ever produced has
been recycled. Despite this, the idea of circular economy in the plastics
industry is often cited as the magic bullet: we will simply reuse the plastic
we have already made and reduce the impact of plastic pollution. But new
evidence points to the flaws in this plan. A report by Greenpeace has found
that recycled plastic can be even more toxic, and is no fix for pollution.
It is now well known that plastic pollution is ubiquitous across the planet,
with evidence of plastic particles being found in the deepest parts of the
ocean, from the Mariana Trench to the peak of Mount Everest. There is justified
concern about the impact of this pollution, both on ecosystems and human
health. However, as an environmental chemist who has been studying plastic in
the environment, I am increasingly concerned by a more hidden “invisible”
threat posed by plastics: toxic chemicals.
It is estimated that more than 13,000 different chemicals are involved in the
production of plastics, and many of these have never been assessed for their
toxicity. Chemicals are used alongside the plastic polymer itself to create the
desired physical properties for different applications: how bendy or rigid you
want your plastic, whether it needs to be fire-resistant or resilient to the
effects of sunlight, not forgetting dyes and pigments used to give the product
the desired colour.
In food packaging or products designed for small children, there are stringent
regulations of which chemicals can be included in order to reduce or mitigate
the potential risk of exposure to toxins. However, this becomes problematic
when you start to consider recycled plastics."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
