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The Science of the Total Environment Dec 2023China's takeaway food industry is growing rapidly, and bringing unprecedented demand for plastic packaging, which results in serious plastic pollution and increasing...
China's takeaway food industry is growing rapidly, and bringing unprecedented demand for plastic packaging, which results in serious plastic pollution and increasing emissions of plasticizers of phthalate esters (PAEs) and greenhouse gases (GHGs). This study assesses the current and future situation of plastic usage for takeaway food packaging in China, and also analyzes the PAEs and GHG emissions brought by these plastics under different scenarios. From 2010 to 2020, the plastic usage grew from 2.92 to 101 × 10 tons, and brought 112-3845 kg PAEs and 43.6-1438 kt COe GHG emissions. Their distribution exhibited a clear 'two-line' pattern: higher features mostly located in Beijing-Guangzhou and Beijing-Shanghai railways. The socio-economic factors model performed better than the growth rate model for plastic usage prediction from 2021 to 2060. It is predicted that 40.6 Mt. plastic would be consumed in 2060, and they will bring 155 tons PAEs and 37.0 Mt. COe GHGs. At that time, biodegradable plastic replaced or plastic cycling cannot significantly contribute to national carbon reduction, unless using a temperature change of 2 °C scenario. Our work improves the understanding of PAEs and GHG emission from plastic pollution, and provides insight into long-term dynamics in the plastics management of takeaway food industry.
Topics: China; Environmental Pollution; Greenhouse Gases; Plasticizers; Food Industry; Plastics
PubMed: 37709096
DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.166933 -
Archivum Immunologiae Et Therapiae... Jun 2018Di(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate (DEHP), a widely used plasticizer, mainly serves as an additive to render polyvinyl chloride (PVC) soft and flexible. PVC plastics have become... (Review)
Review
Di(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate (DEHP), a widely used plasticizer, mainly serves as an additive to render polyvinyl chloride (PVC) soft and flexible. PVC plastics have become ubiquitous in our modern society. Yet, the leaching of DEHP from PVC-based consumables ultimately results in the deposition in certain tissues via inadvertent applications. Health risks for human populations exposed to DEHP has been assumed by studies on rodents and other species, including the DEHP-induced developmental dysregulation, reproductive impairments, tumorigenesis, and diseases in a transgenerational manner. In this review, we comprehensively summarize the accumulated literature regarding the multifaceted roles of DEHP in the activation of the nuclear receptors, the alteration of the redox homeostasis, epigenetic modifications and the acquisition of chemoresistance.
Topics: Animals; Antineoplastic Agents; Carcinogenesis; Diethylhexyl Phthalate; Drug Resistance, Neoplasm; Epigenesis, Genetic; Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic; Homeostasis; Humans; Neoplasms; Oxidation-Reduction; Phthalic Acids; Plasticizers; Polyvinyl Chloride; Receptors, Cytoplasmic and Nuclear
PubMed: 29209738
DOI: 10.1007/s00005-017-0494-2 -
Journal of Pediatric Gastroenterology... Jan 2017Aluminum contamination of parenteral nutrition solutions has been documented for 3 decades. It can result in elevated blood, bone, and whole body aluminum levels...
BACKGROUND
Aluminum contamination of parenteral nutrition solutions has been documented for 3 decades. It can result in elevated blood, bone, and whole body aluminum levels associated with neurotoxicity, reduced bone mass and mineral content, and perhaps hepatotoxicity. The primary aluminum source among parenteral nutrition components is glass-packaged calcium gluconate, in which aluminum concentration in the past 3 decades has averaged approximately 4000 μg/L, compared with <200 μg/L in plastic container-packaged calcium gluconate. A concern about plastic packaging is leaching of plasticizers, including phthalates, which have the potential to cause endocrine (male reproductive system) disruption and neurotoxicity.
METHODS
Aluminum was quantified in samples collected periodically for more than 2 years from 3 calcium gluconate sources used to prepare parenteral nutrition solutions; 2 packaged in glass (from France and the United States) and 1 in plastic (from Germany); in a recently released plastic-packaged solution (from the United States); and in the 2 glass containers. Phthalate concentration was determined in selected samples of each product and leachate of the plastic containers.
RESULTS
The initial aluminum concentration was approximately 5000 μg/L in the 2 glass-packaged products and approximately 20 μg/L in the plastic-packaged product, and increased approximately 30%, 50%, and 100% in 2 years, respectively. The aluminum concentration in a recently released Calcium Gluconate Injection USP was approximately 320 μg/L. Phthalates were not detected in any calcium gluconate solutions or leachates.
CONCLUSIONS
Plastic packaging greatly reduces the contribution of aluminum to parenteral nutrition solutions from calcium gluconate compared with the glass-packaged product.
Topics: Aluminum; Calcium Gluconate; Drug Contamination; Drug Packaging; France; Germany; Glass; Humans; Parenteral Nutrition; Parenteral Nutrition Solutions; Phthalic Acids; Plasticizers; Plastics; United States
PubMed: 27111341
DOI: 10.1097/MPG.0000000000001243 -
The Science of the Total Environment Dec 2022The study highlights the potential of Environmental Specimen Banks (ESBs) for implementing the Zero Pollution Ambition and the Biodiversity Strategy of the European... (Review)
Review
The study highlights the potential of Environmental Specimen Banks (ESBs) for implementing the Zero Pollution Ambition and the Biodiversity Strategy of the European Green Deal. By drawing on recent monitoring studies of European ESBs, we illustrate the role ESBs already play in assessing the state of ecosystems in Europe and how they help to make developments over time visible. The studies reveal the ubiquitous presence of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, halogenated flame retardants, chlorinated paraffins, plasticizers, cyclic volatile methyl siloxanes, UV-filters, pharmaceuticals, and microplastics in the European environment. Temporal trends demonstrate the effectiveness of European regulations on perfluorooctane sulfonic acid, pentabrominated diphenylethers and diethylhexyl phthalate, but also point to the rise of substitutes such as non-phthalate plasticizers and short-chain perfluoroalkyl substances. Other studies are wake-up calls indicating the emergence of currently unregulated compounds such as long-chain chlorinated paraffins. Ecological studies show temporal trends in biometric parameters and stable isotope signatures that suggest long-term changes in environmental conditions. Studies on biodiversity of ecosystems using environmental DNA are still in their beginnings, but here too there is evidence of shifts in community composition that can be linked to changing environmental conditions. This review demonstrates the value of ESBs (a) for describing the status of the environment, (b) for monitoring temporal changes in environmental pollution and the ecologic condition of ecosystems and thereby (c) for supporting regulators in prioritizing their actions towards the objectives of the Green Deal.
Topics: Environmental Monitoring; Ecosystem; Plasticizers; Fluorocarbons; Flame Retardants; Diethylhexyl Phthalate; Microplastics; DNA, Environmental; Plastics; Siloxanes; Paraffin; Pharmaceutical Preparations
PubMed: 36055484
DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.158430 -
Waste Management (New York, N.Y.) Mar 2020Additives are ubiquitously used in plastics to improve their functionality. However, they are not always desirable in their 'second life' and are a major bottleneck for... (Review)
Review
Additives are ubiquitously used in plastics to improve their functionality. However, they are not always desirable in their 'second life' and are a major bottleneck for chemical recycling. Although research on extraction techniques for efficient removal of additives is increasing, it resembles much like uncharted territory due to the broad variety of additives, plastics and removal techniques. Today solvent-based additive extraction techniques, solid-liquid extraction and dissolution-precipitation, are considered to be the most promising techniques to remove additives. This review focuses on the assessment of these techniques by making a link between literature and physicochemical principles such as diffusion and Hansen solubility theory. From a technical point of view, dissolution-precipitation is preferred to remove a broad spectrum of additives because diffusion limitations affect the solid-liquid extraction recoveries. Novel techniques such as accelerated solvent extraction (ASE) are promising for finding the balance between these two processes. Because of limited studies on the economic and environmental feasibility of extraction methods, this review also includes a basic economic and environmental assessment of two extreme cases for the extraction of additives. According to this assessment, the feasibility of additives removal depends strongly on the type of additive and plastic and also on the extraction conditions. In the best-case scenario at least 70% of solvent recovery is required to extract plasticizers from polyvinyl chloride (PVC) via dissolution-precipitation with tetrahydrofuran (THF), while solid-liquid extraction of phenolic antioxidants and a fatty acid amide slip agents from polypropylene (PP) with dichloromethane (DCM) can be economically viable even without intensive solvent recovery.
Topics: Plasticizers; Plastics; Polyvinyl Chloride; Recycling; Solvents
PubMed: 31978833
DOI: 10.1016/j.wasman.2020.01.003 -
Journal of Hazardous Materials Feb 2021Human and wildlife are continually exposed to a wide range of compounds and substances, which reach the body through the air, water, food, or personal care products.... (Review)
Review
Human and wildlife are continually exposed to a wide range of compounds and substances, which reach the body through the air, water, food, or personal care products. Plasticizers are compounds added to plastics and can be released to the environment under certain conditions. Toxicological studies have concluded that plasticizers, phthalates, and bisphenols are endocrine disruptors, alter the endocrine system and functioning of the immune system and metabolic process. A functional immune response indicates favourable living conditions for an organism; conversely, a weak immune response could reveal a degraded environment that requires organisms to adapt. There is growing concern about the presence of plastic debris in the environment. In this review, the current knowledge of the action of plasticizers on leukocyte cells will be itemized. We also point out critically the role of some nuclear and membrane receptors as key players in the action of plasticizers on cells possess immune function. We discuss the role of erythrocytes within the immune responses and the alteration caused by plasticizers. Finally, we highlight data evidencing mitochondrial dysfunctions triggered by plasticizing toxic action, which can lead to immunosuppression.
Topics: Endocrine Disruptors; Humans; Immunity; Phthalic Acids; Plasticizers; Plastics
PubMed: 33035909
DOI: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2020.124114 -
Environmental Pollution (Barking, Essex... Aug 2023Human membrane drug transporters are recognized as major actors of pharmacokinetics; they also handle endogenous compounds, including hormones and metabolites. Chemical... (Review)
Review
Human membrane drug transporters are recognized as major actors of pharmacokinetics; they also handle endogenous compounds, including hormones and metabolites. Chemical additives present in plastics interact with human drug transporters, which may have consequences for the toxicokinetics and toxicity of these widely-distributed environmental and/or dietary pollutants, to which humans are highly exposed. The present review summarizes key findings about this topic. In vitro assays have demonstrated that various plastic additives, including bisphenols, phthalates, brominated flame retardants, poly-alkyl phenols and per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances, can inhibit the activities of solute carrier uptake transporters and/or ATP-binding cassette efflux pumps. Some are substrates for transporters or can regulate their expression. The relatively low human concentration of plastic additives from environmental or dietary exposure is a key parameter to consider to appreciate the in vivo relevance of plasticizer-transporter interactions and their consequences for human toxicokinetics and toxicity of plastic additives, although even low concentrations of pollutants (in the nM range) may have clinical effects. Existing data about interactions of plastic additives with drug transporters remain somewhat sparse and incomplete. A more systematic characterization of plasticizer-transporter relationships is needed. The potential effects of chemical additive mixtures towards transporter activities and the identification of transporter substrates among plasticizers, as well as their interactions with transporters of emerging relevance deserve particular attention. A better understanding of the human toxicokinetics of plastic additives may help to fully integrate the possible contribution of transporters to the absorption, distribution, metabolism and excretion of plastics-related chemicals, as well as to their deleterious effects towards human health.
Topics: Humans; Plastics; Toxicokinetics; Plasticizers; Membrane Transport Proteins; Environmental Pollutants; Drug Interactions
PubMed: 37236587
DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2023.121882 -
ACS Applied Bio Materials Jun 2022We investigate the adsorption of insulin onto PE and PVC materials by using HPLC measurements and computer simulations. We interpret the experiments by calculating the...
We investigate the adsorption of insulin onto PE and PVC materials by using HPLC measurements and computer simulations. We interpret the experiments by calculating the Gibbs free energy profiles during the adsorption process. The values of free energy of adsorption show a good agreement with the experimental measurements. The adsorption of insulin onto the different materials is characterized through the conformational changes with respect to its conformation in water and the interfacial regions, which are described by specific arrangements of polymer chains, water, insulin, and plasticizer molecules.
Topics: Adsorption; Insulin; Insulin, Regular, Human; Plasticizers; Polyvinyl Chloride; Water
PubMed: 35549028
DOI: 10.1021/acsabm.2c00029 -
Environmental Toxicology and... Jun 2023The plastic accumulation and its degradation into microplastics is an environmental issue not only for their ubiquity, but also for the release of intrinsic chemicals,...
The plastic accumulation and its degradation into microplastics is an environmental issue not only for their ubiquity, but also for the release of intrinsic chemicals, such as phthalates (PAEs), non-phthalate plasticizers (NPPs), and bisphenols (BPs), which may reach body organs and tissues, and act as endocrine disruptors. Monitoring plastic additives in biological matrices, such as blood, may help in deriving relationships between human exposure and health outcomes. In this work, the profile of PAEs, NPPs and BPs was determined in Sicilian women's blood with different ages (20-60 years) and interpreted by chemometrics. PAEs (DiBP and DEPH), NPPs (DEHT and DEHA), BPA and BPS were at higher frequencies and greater levels in women's blood and varied in relation to age. According to statistical analysis, younger females' blood had higher contents of plasticizers than older women, probably due to a more frequent use of higher quantities of plastic products in daily life.
Topics: Humans; Female; Aged; Plasticizers; Plastics; Phthalic Acids
PubMed: 37268242
DOI: 10.1016/j.etap.2023.104166 -
International Journal of Biological... Nov 2022Polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) is commonly used in the chemical, electronic, and petrochemical industries because of its chemical and physical attributes. This study...
Polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) is commonly used in the chemical, electronic, and petrochemical industries because of its chemical and physical attributes. This study aimed to make novel PVDF-based composite with a high loading of silanized wood powder and micro/nanocellulose fibers, where glycerol acts as both a dispersant and a plasticizer all-in-one composite application for the first time. The purpose was also extended to systematically investigate their mechanical properties and melt flow. Results have demonstrated the efficiency of utilizing the cellulose fibers in bio-composites. With the addition of 30 wt% of filling materials, When the content of silanized cellulose fibers in glycerol dispersion is 25 wt%, the flexural strength and tensile strength reach the maximum value 72.30 MPa and 52.28 MPa. The experimental results indicate that silanized micro/nanocellulose fiber-reinforced PVDF/wood composites are a promising composite formula to help improve performance and reduce costs. It is an excellent example of utilizing biomass resources as a renewable/recyclable, sustainable and low-cost material to reduce the use of petroleum-based polymer, and improve the mechanical properties of composites.
Topics: Cellulose; Fluorocarbon Polymers; Glycerol; Materials Testing; Petroleum; Plasticizers; Polymers; Polyvinyls; Powders; Wood
PubMed: 35987360
DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2022.08.105