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Release of harmful volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from photo-degraded plastic debris: A neglected source of environmental pollution
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Researchers investigated the release of volatile organic compounds from common plastic polymers including polystyrene, polypropylene, and polyethylene during artificial UV aging. The study found that photo-degraded plastics release harmful VOCs, identifying this as a neglected source of environmental pollution that could pose risks to both ecosystems and human health as plastic debris weathers in the environment.
Environmental pollution associated to plastic debris is gaining increasing relevance not only as a threat to ecosystems but also for its possible harmful effects on biota and human health. The release of toxic volatile organic compounds (VOCs) is a potential hazard associated with the environmental weathering of plastic debris. Artificial aging of reference polymers (polystyrene, polypropylene, polyethylene terephthalate, high and low density polyethylene) was performed in a Solar Box at 40 °C and 750 W/m. The volatile degradation products were determined before and after 1, 2, 3 and 4 weeks of aging using a validated analytical procedure combining headspace (HS) with needle trap microextraction (NTME) and gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC-MS). A progressive increase in VOCs was observed during artificial photo-degradation, whose chemical profile resulted polymer-dependent and included carbonyls, lactones, esters, acids, alcohols, ethers, aromatics. The amount of extractable fraction in polar solvents generally showed a similar trend. The same analytical procedure was used to determine VOCs released from plastic debris collected at a marine beach. All samples released harmful compounds (e.g. acrolein, benzene, propanal, methyl vinyl ketone, and methyl propenyl ketone), supporting the initial hypothesis that microplastics represent an unrecognized source of environmental pollution.
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Researchers identified more than 50 different volatile organic compounds released from polyethylene and polyethylene terephthalate microplastics during ultraviolet irradiation in water. The study found that UV-C produced more gaseous byproducts than UV-A, and toxicological analysis suggested that some of these volatile compounds could pose risks to humans and the environment, highlighting an often-overlooked pathway of microplastic degradation.
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Researchers compared the volatile organic compounds emitted by pure and weathered polyethylene and PET plastics, finding that weathering significantly changes the chemical emissions profile of both polymer types. This suggests that aged microplastics in the environment release a different and potentially more harmful mix of chemicals than fresh plastic.
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