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Legacy and Emerging Plasticizers and Stabilizers in PVC Floorings: Impacts of an Industrial Transition and Recycling
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This study systematically analysed 151 new PVC floor coverings on the Swiss market, finding that 16% still contained regulated hazardous chemicals — mainly lead and DEHP — above legal thresholds, likely introduced via recycled PVC. A further 29% contained alternative plasticizers not yet subject to the same scrutiny but detected in bioassays for cytotoxicity and endocrine disruption. The findings reveal that recycling of PVC can inadvertently reintroduce banned chemicals into new products, posing indoor exposure and health risks, and that some replacement plasticizers may themselves warrant toxicological concern.
Hazardous chemicals in building and construction plastics can lead to significant indoor exposure, health risks, and contamination of recycled materials. We systematically sample new PVC floorings on the Swiss market (n=151). We conduct elemental analysis using XRF, targeted and sus-pect GC MS analysis of ortho phthalates and alternative plasticizers, and bioassay tests for cytotoxicity, oxidative stress, and endocrine, mutagenic, and genotoxic activities (for selected samples). Surprisingly, 16% of the samples contain regulated chemicals above 0.1 weight%, mainly lead and bis(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP). Their presence is likely linked with the use of recycled PVC in new floorings, highlighting that uncontrolled recycling can delay the phase-out of hazardous chemicals. Furthermore, 29% of the samples contain ortho-phthalates besides DEHP (mainly diisononyl and diisodecyl phthalates, DiNP and DiDP) above 0.1 weight%, and 17% of the 85 tested samples cause certain adverse biological effects. Together, they make up an additional 35% of samples of potential concern. Moreover, both suspect screening and bioassay results indicate the presence of additional (potentially) hazardous substances, including emerging alternative plasticizers. Overall, our study highlights the urgent need for accelerating the phase-out of hazardous substances and enhancing transparency of chemical compositions in plastics to protect human and ecosystem health and enable the transition to a safe and sustainable circular economy.
More Papers Like This
Legacy and Emerging Plasticizers and Stabilizers in PVC Floorings: Impacts of an Industrial Transition and Recycling
AI summary Read the abstract
Researchers tested 151 new PVC floor products on the Swiss market and found that 16% still contained regulated toxic chemicals — mostly lead and the plasticizer DEHP — likely introduced through the use of recycled PVC content. The findings reveal that poorly regulated recycling can actually perpetuate hazardous chemical exposure in homes, undermining the safety goals of circular economy efforts.
Legacy and Emerging Plasticizers and Stabilizers in PVC Floorings and Implications for Recycling
AI summary Read the abstract
Researchers tested 151 new PVC floor products sold in Switzerland and found that 16% contained hazardous chemicals above regulatory limits, including lead and a banned plasticizer called DEHP. The likely source was recycled PVC mixed into new products, showing how recycling without proper quality control can keep toxic chemicals circulating. These floor materials can release harmful additives into indoor air, creating ongoing exposure risks for people living and working in these spaces.
Endocrine disrupting chemicals in indoor dust: A review of temporal and spatial trends, and human exposure
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This review examines endocrine-disrupting chemicals found in indoor house dust, including phthalates, flame retardants, bisphenols, and PFAS, many of which come from plastic products. Even though some of these chemicals have been banned, they are still widely detected in dust, while their replacement chemicals are showing up at increasing levels. The findings are relevant to microplastic concerns because many of these hormone-disrupting chemicals are the same additives found in plastics that leach out as microplastics break down.
Assessment of endocrine-disrupting activities of alternative chemicals for bis(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate
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Researchers assessed the endocrine-disrupting potential of alternative plasticizers used to replace the commonly restricted DEHP (bis(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate), finding that several substitutes also displayed hormonal activity. The results raise concerns that some replacement plasticizers used in consumer plastics may carry similar health risks as the chemicals they were designed to replace.
Environmental and health hazards of chemicals in plastic polymers and products
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Researchers reviewed the environmental and health hazards of chemicals in plastic polymers and products, examining the toxicological profiles of monomers, additives, and degradation products that can leach from plastics into food, water, and the environment. The study identifies numerous plastic-associated chemicals with endocrine-disrupting, carcinogenic, or developmental toxicity potential and calls for more comprehensive safety testing of plastic formulations.
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