Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
7.1 ENDOCRINE DISRUPTOR CHEMICALS USED IN
PLASTICS INDUSTRY
Over 800 chemicals are known or suspected to have endocrine disruptor
(ED) effects (Bergman et al., 2012). It is the use of pesticides,
phytoestrogens, food chemicals, and pharmaceuticals that are mainly
responsible for the presence of EDCs in air, water, and soil. Chemicals used
in plastics are not the major source of EDCs in the environment but can
still be a significant source of human exposure
via
packaging and consumer
goods. For instance, the incidence of infertility in women working in the
plastics industry was observed to be significantly higher than for the general
population in at least one study (Tyl et al., 2004).
The main EDCs encountered in plastics industry include the following:
1. Bisphenol A (BPA) {2,2-bis(4-hydroxyphenyl)propane} in
polycarbonates (PC), some epoxy resins, and polysulfones (annual
world production ~4.4 MMT)
2. Phthalates, used as plasticizers in PVC (annual world production ~6.4
MMT)
3. Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) used as flame retardants in
plastics (annual world production ~0.07 MMT)
4. Alkylphenol ethoxylates (APE) used in phenolic resin and as an additive
(annual world production ~ 0.07 MMT)
5. Some heavy metal residues from cadmium and arsenic polymerization
catalysts.
Table 7.1
based on a recent UNEP report summarizes the credible research
on links between exposure to these classes of EDCs and the diversity of
implied disease conditions.
