TOXICOLOGY OF PLASTICS: PHTHALATES IN PLASTICIZERS

Technical Information
rMIX: Il Portale del Riciclo nell'Economia Circolare - Toxicology of Plastics: Phthalates in Plasticizers
Summary

- Use of plasticizers in the plastic food packaging sector

- Advantages of using plasticizers in the plastic packaging sector

- What are Phthalates and where are they inserted

- Phthalates in the food chain

- What dangers to human health and legal limits

- Phthalates in recycled plastics and their control

Toxicology of Plastics: Phthalates in Plasticizers. What we need to know for proper management


With the advent of polypropylene on the market, following the discovery made by Giulio Natta in the 1950s, which earned him the Nobel, the traditional glass and metal packaging products, were quickly replaced by plastics for greater lightness, safety, pleasantness and economy.

The the food packaging industry experimented with various polymers, including PVC, used both in rigid structures and in protective films for packaging.

Polymers, including PVC, need additives to be able to shape them in production, to make them flexible and, at high temperatures, to avoid degradation.

The choice of additive to use depends on the polymer to which it is to be bound and the final application of the product to be made.


The plasticizer is an additive widely used to make food packaging and must have precise and standardized characteristics:

• Chemically inert

• Easily mixable with polymer

• It must not create the exudation effect, i.e. migration to the surface

• It must be heat-sealable

• Must be photo weldable

• Must not be volatile


Among the most common plasticizers we find Phthalates , a family of products that perfectly matches the demands of the production and distribution chain required for packaging.

Phthalates do not bind chemically to PVC but act as additives creating the best conditions for the polymer to take on greater flexibility.

The major families of phthalates used in PVC for the realization of the packaging fall under the abbreviations DEHP, DIDP and DINP , enclosing different physico-chemical properties depending on the lengths of the alkyl chains of the ester functional group.


The main characteristics of Phthalates are:

• Fat soluble

• Not very soluble in water

• Odorless

• Colorless

• Volatile


Phthalates are not found only in food packaging but in many products in common use such as toys, rainwear, car interiors, home upholstery, tires, adhesives, sealants, paints, external curtains, cables, cosmetics, perfumes, medical devices such as catheters, transfusion bags and many other products.

Due to their very widespread diffusion it is important to know what effects on humans the unregulated diffusion of phthalates in the environment could have, as they are products that persist in water, air and soil, entering the animal food chain and, consequently, man.

The damage I can cause to humans concerns the action that Phthalates have as endocrine disruptors, which were already studied in 2009 by the Endocrine Society , which confirmed the harmful effects of these endocrine disruptors on physiologically sensitive systems to hormones, such as:


• Brain

• Testicles and prostate in males

• Ovaries and uterus for females

• Pituitary gland

• Thyroid

• Cardiovascular system

• Pancreas

• Adipose tissue

• Mammary glands

• Neuroendocrine system of the hippothalamus


The EFSA (European Food Safety Authority) in 2019 redefined the maximum limits of use of four of the five most used phthalates in polymers (DBP, BBP, DEHP and DINP) indicating the maximum tolerable daily dose by humans which corresponds to 0.05 mg./Kg. bodily.

These data take into account the use of virgin polymers but, in consideration of the life cycle of end-of-life plastics in environment, with the possibility that phthalates can transfer into food chains , it would be necessary to create a chain of control over the supply chain.

As for recycled plastic , given the easy diffusion of these chemical agents in the environment, a greater performance in quantitative terms of the recycling compared to the virgin plastic produced would also be a necessary environmental objective.

Furthermore, the transformation of plastic waste into a new raw material would impose an analytical control of the chemical substances inside it, through a analysis instrument such as a gas chromatograph combined with an ion mobility spectrometer, which characterizes the chemical components that will go on the market.

However, it is also recommended in the use of virgin raw material for food use, even if not directly related to packaging, for example plastic tubes for the transport of drinking water , produced according to the UNI 1622 standard, which concerns smells and tastes of the liquid transported, which could over time release substances incompatible with human health.

Automatic translation. We apologize for any inaccuracies. Original article in Italian.


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