SEATTLE (Recycling Monster): The results of a recent study led by scientists at the University of Gothenburg indicate that hundreds of toxic chemicals, including pesticides and pharmaceuticals, are found in recycled plastics. The tests were conducted on samples of pellets from recycled plastic collected from thirteen different countries from Africa, South America, Asia and Eastern Europe.
As per findings of the study, recycled plastics are not suitable for many purposes. Furthermore, they hinder the global attempts to create a circular economy, the scientists said. There are no plastics that can be categorized as safe or circular, because the manufacturing of all plastics involves usage of toxic chemicals.
The study detected and quantified as many as 491 organic compounds in the pellets. In addition, a total of 170 compounds, belonging to various classes such as pesticides, pharmaceuticals, industrial chemicals, plastic additives, were tentatively annotated. There eists few regulations on chemicals in plastics.
The study noted that the presence of hazardous chemicals pose significant risks to recycling workers and consumers, in addition to causing damage to the environment. Over 13,000 chemicals are used in plastics with almost one-fourth classified as hazardous, the authors of the study report warned.
YOU MAY ALSO BE INTERESTED IN:
