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Chemical additives in weathered microplastic in the marine environment
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A Nordic study measured chemical additives in polyurethane and polyvinyl chloride samples before and after four months of weathering in a fjord near Bergen, Norway. Several plasticizers were detected and their concentrations changed with weathering, indicating that environmental degradation alters the chemical hazard profile of plastic debris over time.
A Nordic project identified and measured residues of chemical additives in polyurethane (PUR) and polyvinyl chloride (PVC). Measurements were done in new plastic, and in plastic weathered for four months in Samnangerfjorden near Bergen. Targeted chemical analysis with GC-Orbitrap was performed for identification and GC-MS analysis for quantification. Four plasticizers were detected in PUR and three in PVC, before and after weathering: Dibutyl adipate, N-butylbenzenesulphonamide (only in PUR), dibutyl phthalate, and di-2-ethylhexyl phthalate (DEHP). Maximum concentrations were approx. 1000 ng/g plastic. Also triphenyl phosphite and octadecyl 3-(3,5-di-tert-butyl-4-hydroxyphenyl)propionate were identified. Risk quotients for copepods, cod and fulmar showed low risk. Additionally, non-target screening with GC-Orbitrap identified sixteen chemicals, of which two had hazard classifications.
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Researchers measured chemical additives — including phthalate plasticizers known to disrupt hormones — in polyurethane and PVC plastics before and after four months of weathering in a Norwegian fjord, finding that concentrations reached up to 1,000 nanograms per gram of plastic and that risk to marine organisms remained low, though non-target screening flagged additional unidentified compounds of concern.
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When a large batch of papers lands in the Atlas, we read through it and send a short write-up of what stood out.