Toxic chemicals in toys, kitchen utensils and other plastic products. This is what emerges from the report “Toxic Loophole. Recycling Hazardous Waste into New Products ”in which Arnika and the Health and Environment Alliance (Heal) ask the European Commission to ban the use of organic pollutants.
Don't store avocado like this: it's dangerous
Toxic chemicals in toys, kitchen utensils and other products in plastic. This is what emerges from the report “Toxic Loophole. Recycling Hazardous Waste into New Products ”in which Arnika and the Health and Environment Alliance (Heal) ask the European Commission to ban the use of organic pollutants.
Products increasingly polluted by chemicals. An alarming report was published by the two non-governmental organizations which analyzed 430 products marketed in the countries of the European Union.
25% of them contain bromine and antimony which come from electronic waste, are contained in recycled plastic and are used as flame retardants. According to experts, substances that interfere with the proper functioning of the thyroid gland, which can cause neurological and attention deficits in children.
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The report
The publication of the report coincides with a crucial vote in the European Parliament to establish and reassess recycling exemptions for POPs (persistent organic pollutants) in waste and with the European Commission's review of waste limits. Both decisions will determine whether toxic waste materials, such as electronic waste containing brominated flame retardants, will be allowed in the recycled plastics.
The research was conducted by Arnika, HEAL and IPEN. Samples were collected in the following countries: European Union Member States (Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Germany, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Spain and Sweden) and Central and Eastern European countries (Albania , Armenia, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Macedonia, Montenegro, Russia and Serbia) between April and July 2018.
Toxic substances in toys and more
The study, as we said, analyzed 430 products including children's plastic toys, hair accessories and kitchen utensils purchased in 19 European countries.
109 (25%) had high levels of bromine and above all according to the analyzes they did not comply with the EU regulation on POPs.
“Our research found flame retardant chemicals called PBDE and HBCD in the vast majority of the samples tested. This is concerning as these two chemicals are among the 28 most dangerous chemicals on the planet. The only way to protect people from the hazardous chemicals in recycled electronic waste is to close the recycling loophole, ”said lead study author Jitka Strakova.
Both substances are included in the list of Persistent Organic Pollutants established by the Stockholm Convention and for this reason they are prohibited in the production phase in all European Union countries. Specifically, PBDEs are a group of chemical flame retardants found in the casings and insulation of cables of old electronic equipment and appliances, and while HBCDs are found in polystyrene and plastics for electronics and automobiles.
Researchers are therefore asking to ensure that recycled plastics satisfy the same standard of new plastics.
“No one would knowingly give children toxic waste to play with. The EU currently allows exemptions so that some of the most hazardous materials in plastics can be recycled, ”said Genon Jensen, co-author of the study.
Cleaning of plastics
According to the NGOs, in addition to stricter controls, one of the solutions could be that of cleaning recycled plastics, so that those containing PBDEs are classified as POP waste and treated as such. This means separating and decontaminating plastic from electronic waste.
“Consumers are unaware that new products made from recycled plastics may contain dangerous chemicals that have been banned for a long time. The EU should create maximum transparency and traceability of chemicals, ”said Manuel Fernández, the chemical expert of BUND - Friends of the Earth Germany.
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Dominella Trunfio
