Papers

Legacy and Emerging Plasticizers and Stabilizers in PVC Floorings and Implications for Recycling

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.

Recommendations on fit-for-purpose criteria to establish quality management for microphysiological systems and for monitoring their reproducibility

Researchers developed quality management guidelines for microphysiological systems — miniature lab models that mimic human tissue and organ behavior — to improve the consistency and reliability of results across different laboratories. Standardizing these systems is critical for replacing animal testing and generating trustworthy safety data for chemicals including nanoplastics.

Toxicity data for: COLLEMBOT: AI-based counting of Collembola for OECD 232 Tests

This dataset provides raw and processed data from soil toxicity tests comparing manual and automated counting methods for springtails exposed to various contaminants, including polystyrene microplastics. The COLLEMBOT system uses AI-based image analysis to count test organisms, aiming to improve efficiency and reduce human error in standardized ecotoxicological assays. The data support validation of automated approaches for assessing microplastic toxicity in soil organisms.

Toxicity data for: COLLEMBOT: AI-based counting of Collembola for OECD 232 Tests

This dataset accompanies research comparing traditional manual counting with an AI-based automated system (COLLEMBOT) for counting springtails in standardized soil toxicity tests. The experiments included exposure to various contaminants including polystyrene microplastics across different soil types. The data provide a resource for validating automated approaches to ecotoxicological testing that could improve the efficiency and reproducibility of microplastic toxicity assessments.

Environmentally relevant UV-light weathering of polystyrene micro- and nanoplastics promotes hepatotoxicity in a human cell line

Researchers found that UV-weathered polystyrene micro- and nanoplastics at environmentally relevant concentrations induced hepatotoxicity in human liver cells and caused significant changes in gene expression related to liver disease pathways.

Healthy Residential Buildings in the Lake Constance Region - Analysis for Harmonization and Further Development of Standards for the Planning and Assessment of Healthy Residential Buildings

This study reviewed building health standards across the Germany-Austria-Switzerland border region, finding that differing national regulations for pollutant-free building materials create barriers to harmonized construction standards and proposing a framework for alignment.

Ecotoxicity attenuation by acid-resistant nanofiltration in scandium recovery from TiO2 production waste

Researchers developed an ecotoxicity testing system to assess the environmental safety of waste streams generated during scandium recovery from industrial titanium dioxide production residues. They found that acid-resistant nanofiltration — the key purification step — reduced toxicity to bacteria, water fleas, and aquatic plants by up to 99-100%, demonstrating that this recovery technology can extract valuable rare earth metals while dramatically reducing environmental hazard.

From Proceedings to Actions: European Healthy Soils Conference 2023

This proceedings summary from the first European Healthy Soils Conference (2023) covered topics in soil fertility, microplastic contamination, soil microbiome health, and sustainable land management. It emphasized the need for interdisciplinary action combining industry, academia, and policy to protect European soil health.

Towards quantitative microplastic analysis using pyrolysis-gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry

Researchers worked to improve a lab technique called pyrolysis-GC/MS — which identifies plastics by heating them until they break apart into detectable chemical fragments — and found that mixing certain plastics together (especially PVC with others) produces unexpected reactions that can throw off measurements. Their findings highlight the urgent need for standardized international methods so that microplastic data from different labs can be reliably compared.

Biodegradation of Polyethylene and Polystyrene by Greater Wax Moth Larvae (<i>Galleria mellonella</i> L.) and the Effect of Co-diet Supplementation on the Core Gut Microbiome

This study tested whether co-feeding larvae of the wax moth Galleria mellonella with supplementary diet could enhance survival while maintaining their ability to biodegrade polyethylene and polystyrene plastics. The results show that larvae can degrade both polymer types when fed co-diets, offering a potential avenue for biological plastic breakdown.

Mineralization of 13C-labeled polyethylene by marine Bacillus velezensis MT9

Using carbon-13 isotope tracing, researchers confirmed that the marine bacterium Bacillus velezensis MT9 can genuinely mineralize polyethylene — converting solid plastic into carbon dioxide — with UV pre-treatment of the plastic enhancing degradation. This is direct evidence of true bacterial biodegradation of the world's most abundant plastic, offering a potential biological route for remediating PE microplastics in marine environments.

Mineralisation of 14C-labelled polystyrene plastics by Penicillium variabile after ozonation pre-treatment

Researchers synthesized 14C-labelled polystyrene polymers and demonstrated that the fungus Penicillium variabile can mineralize PS, with ozonation pre-treatment significantly enhancing the rate of biodegradation as measured by CO2 release and confirmed by SEM, FTIR, and gel-permeation chromatography analysis of the residual polymer.

Legacy and Emerging Plasticizers and Stabilizers in PVC Floorings: Impacts of an Industrial Transition and Recycling

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.

Legacy and Emerging Plasticizers and Stabilizers in PVC Floorings: Impacts of an Industrial Transition and Recycling

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.

Poseidon—Decision Support Tool for Water Reuse

This paper describes Poseidon, a decision support tool designed to help water managers evaluate and plan water reuse systems. Water reuse is an important strategy for water security but requires careful management to prevent microplastic and other contaminant concentrations from building up in reused water.

Is microplastic transported into deep soil layers? Analysis of agricultural soil using hyperspectral imaging and artificial neural networks

Geospatial Information Infrastructures

This chapter provides an overview of geospatial information infrastructures — the technological and organizational systems that allow geographic data to be shared and used across institutions. It covers the history, current state, and future directions of these data-sharing frameworks.

The 2015 Annual Meeting of SETAC German Language Branch in Zurich (7–10 September, 2015): Ecotoxicology and environmental chemistry—from research to application

This report summarizes the 2015 annual meeting of the German-language branch of the Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (SETAC), where over 200 researchers from academia, government, and industry presented work on environmental contaminants, soil health, and the translation of scientific findings into policy and practice.