New Delhi, Mar 5 (PT) While India is pushing for plastic recycling to address plastic waste, a study conducted in Delhi has revealed a high presence of toxic chemicals in recycled products such as children’s toys and food contact materials.
The study, conducted by the independent research and advocacy organisation Toxic Links, focused on five major chemicals known for their detrimental impact on human health — phthalates; chlorinated paraffins; heavy metals such as palladium, chromium, cadmium, and arsenic; bisphenol A; and nonylphenol.
“The use of recycled plastic without any regulations is emerging as a major cause for concern across multiple sectors. This is due to the presence of often toxic chemicals in these plastics, which remain through the recycling process and are evident in the finished products,” according to the study, released on Tuesday.
The field study showed that plastic recycling is extensively carried out in the informal sectors.
Toxic Links’ previous work on the issue had also shown that such informal plastic recycling exists in most cities across the country.
The recycling units surveyed during the study were not following any established safety norms or standards related to the recycling process.
In molding units, where recycled pellets are used for manufacturing new products, quality and safety checks are not conducted on the possible chemicals in the recycled pellets nor their suitability for manufacturing.
When these units recycle plastic material into pellets, there are no processes to remove chemical additives.
These pellets are then used to make a range of new consumer products, such as toys, food containers or kitchen utensils.
“This raises serious concern as these products thus contain huge exposure risks. Food contact materials, toys or other products made of these recycled pellets have the possibility of exposing the users to many toxic chemicals, especially when these products have a high likelihood of coming into contact with the mouth,” the report said.
Most of these recycled plastic products are cheaper than branded products of similar nature and, hence, are likely to be bought and used by lower-income groups or marginalised populations.
These populations are more susceptible to health impacts as their nutrition levels might be lower and access to good healthcare limited, said Priti Mahesh, Toxic Links’ chief programme coordinator.
The study examined 15 samples, of which more than 60 per cent were found to contain the chemicals. The majority of these products were picked up from various markets, indicating their widespread availability.
Most of the chemicals detected were higher than the permissible limits (global standards, as India does not have standards for any of the aforementioned chemicals), Toxic Links said.
These chemicals have associated human health impacts, including disruption to endocrine, immune and reproductive systems.
Despite the complete ban on certain chemicals such as SCCPs and BPA, their presence in food contact materials poses a high risk of contamination for both children and adults, raising questions about the effectiveness of these bans, according to Toxic Links.
The presence of chemicals in toys, particularly, is very worrisome as this means exposure to children in their developing years, and many of the chemicals detected are known to cause development impacts, it said.
Although the presence of these toxic chemicals in food contact materials was found to lower than toys, detection of even minute traces of these substances in contact with food is alarming and means a risk to a much higher population.
Most countries, especially developing ones such as India, are pushing for plastics recycling as the best option for dealing with large amounts of plastic waste. These countries are pushing this as the main measure within the Global Plastic Treaty discussion as well.
The study findings indicate that policymakers should be concerned about the toxic nature of plastics, especially in recycled pellets, Toxic Links said.
Chemical additives and contaminants are not labelled or monitored and, with large amounts of plastic recycling occurring in the informal sector, this is a big concern.
The presence of toxic chemicals also points to the fact that uncontrolled use of toxic chemical additives in plastic products renders plastic recycling as an unviable option in some cases, especially for making new products with direct human contact, such as toys or food contact materials, Toxic Links said.
These new products can be a cause of exposure to humans and the environment.
The study findings also clearly spell out the need for a reevaluation of “recycling” within the circular economy in plastic. The current recycling systems are certainly not safe and need to be monitored. The absence of labels in these low-quality, recycled products also is a reason for concern. PTI GVS SZM
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