Determination of chlorinated paraffins and olefins in plastic consumer products of the Swiss market

IF 8.1 2区环境科学与生态学 Q1 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES

Chemosphere Pub Date : 2025-02-21 DOI:10.1016/j.chemosphere.2025.144239

O. Mendo Diaz , A. Tell , S. Hangartner , J. Hutter , U. Stalder , H. Friedl , A.M. Buser , S. Kern , L. Bigler , D. Bleiner , N.V. Heeb

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Chlorinated paraffins (CPs) are plastic additives, which are targeted by international regulatory entities due to their persistence, bioaccumulation, potential for long-range environmental transport and adverse effects. In this work, CPs were analyzed in plastic consumer products of the Swiss market collected in 2021. Up to 144 plastic samples were pre-screened with a GC-ECD method. Plastic samples containing CPs (32, 22%) were further analyzed at homologue level by an LC-APCI-Orbitrap-HRMS method. Respective mass spectrometric data were extracted and evaluated with the CP-Hunter program at the rate of seconds per sample. Qualitative analysis of the LC-HRMS method revealed distinctive C_nCl_x-homologue distributions of both chlorinated paraffins and olefins (COs), highlighting the diversity of CP-mixtures present in the Swiss market. The presence of C₂₁- to C₃₁-homologues in plastic consumer products is reported herein for the first time. Based on the specific fingerprints and the parameters deduced, these samples were grouped with a principal component analysis (PCA). Three industrial strategies were identified in the manufacturing of CP-containing plastics to either comply with or circumvent regulations. These strategies included the avoidance of the SCCP-fraction (type-A), the indiscriminate use of complex technical CP-mixtures (type-B) and the combination of technical CP-mixtures of different carbon-chain lengths and chlorination degrees (type-C). Results showed that the most used strategy was type-B and a partial substitution of SCCPs by MCCPs and LCCPs. Quantitative analysis exhibited that the SCCP content of 20 (14%) out of 144 plastic samples exceeded the Swiss legal limit of 1.5 mg SCCPs per g of plastic. The C_nCl_x-homologue distribution of these plastic samples were type-B and type-C. Therefore, regular monitoring should be conducted to ensure that the composition of plastic products adheres to current regulations.

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来源期刊

Chemosphere 环境科学-环境科学

CiteScore

15.80

自引率

8.00%

发文量

4975

审稿时长

3.4 months

期刊介绍： Chemosphere, being an international multidisciplinary journal, is dedicated to publishing original communications and review articles on chemicals in the environment. The scope covers a wide range of topics, including the identification, quantification, behavior, fate, toxicology, treatment, and remediation of chemicals in the bio-, hydro-, litho-, and atmosphere, ensuring the broad dissemination of research in this field.