We can't find the internet
Attempting to reconnect
Something went wrong!
Hang in there while we get back on track
Impacts of plastic products used in daily life on the environment and human health: What is known?
Summary
Researchers reviewed toxicity data for the most common plastics used in everyday products, finding that polyvinyl chloride (PVC) is the most hazardous due to its monomer and additive chemistry, that additives are generally more toxic than the plastic monomers themselves, and that benzene, phthalates, and lead stabilizers pose the greatest risks to wildlife and humans.
Plastics are indispensable and persistent materials used in daily life that can be fragmented into micro- or nanoplastics. They are long polymer chains mixed with additives that can be toxic when in contact with distinct species. The toxicity can result from polymer matrix, additives, degradation products and adsorbed contaminants. Notwithstanding, there is still an immense gap of information concerning the individual and mixed impacts of plastics. Hence, in this study, we characterize the most common plastic materials widely used in our daily life by its polymer type and compile the environmental and human health hazards of these polymers including the impacts of monomers, additives, degradation products and adsorbed contaminants based on literature review. In summary, polyvinyl chloride is the most toxic polymer type used daily (monomer and additives); additives are more toxic than monomers to wildlife and humans; and the most toxic additives are benzene, phthalates and lead stabilisers.