PE, PP, PET, PS, PA and PVC are the most common polymers used in our daily life. all suppressed by 10–8 M ICI. We heated samples in a microwave 10 times for 2 min each, using a 1,000-W kitchen microwave oven set to “high,” simulating heat and microwave radiation stress to reusable food containers. The toxicity can result from polymer matrix, additives, degradation products and adsorbed contaminants. So not only are most period products damaging the environment, but using them poses a risk to women through exposure to chemicals and toxins. Additionally, most tampons are made from a blend of cotton and rayon, which is a rougher synthetic fibre. terephthalate; VC, vehicle control. Using different solvents increased the probability of detecting EA. However, the lack of significant difference in average percentage having detectable EA between plastic items with and without contents does not imply that the contents do not affect the total EA or specific chemicals having EA released by individual plastic items. Toxic ingredients usually found in tampons include aluminium, alcohol, fragrances, bleach and dioxin, a chlorine-compound linked to cancer. Two popular brands of water bottles made from a PETG resin now marketed as an HC BPA-free replacement also released chemicals having significant EA (W1, W2, W3, and W4; Table 3, Figures 2 and 3), as did uncompounded PETG resins (Table 3). All content is public domain unless otherwise noted.

But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience. Samples were chosen in product areas where adverse health effects might occur if the samples leached chemicals having EA. C.Z.Y. 2009) strongly suggest that chemicals having EA produce measurable changes in the health of various human populations (e.g., on the offspring of mothers given diethylstilbestrol, or sperm counts in Danish males and other groups correlated with BPA levels in body tissues). Percentage of unstressed plastic products having EA in at least one extract. Therefore, a test chemical or extract was classified as not having detectable EA if it did not induce MCF-7 cell proliferation or if it induced proliferation that could not be inhibited by ICI.

1990, 2005; De Meulenaer and Huyghebaert 2004).

Most (71%) unstressed plastic items released chemicals with reliably detectable EA in one or more extraction protocols, independent of resin type, product type, or retailer (Table 1). Methods: We used a roboticized MCF-7 cell proliferation assay, which is very sensitive, accurate, and repeatable, to quantify the EA of chemicals leached into saline or ethanol extracts of many types of commercially available plastic materials, some exposed to common-use stresses (microwaving, ultraviolet radiation, and/or autoclaving). Thermoplastics, which are used for many items that contain food, are made by polymerizing a specific monomer or monomers in the presence of catalysts into a high-molecular-
weight chain known as a thermoplastic polymer [see Supplemental Material, Figure 1 (doi:10.1289/ehp.1003220)]. Combined with packaging, period products create 200,000 tonnes of waste annually in the UK — it’s far from sustainable. It’s caused by bacteria getting into the body and releasing toxins. Our staff will work with you to assess and meet your accessibility needs within 3 working days. Table 2 Percentage of unstressed plastic products having Because additives comprise a small fraction (typically 0.1–1% by weight) of plastic resins and compounds and because plastic resins and compounds using EA-free additives are processed during manufacture in a nearly identical manner as conventional resins and compounds containing chemicals with EA, the replacement of additives having EA with EA-free additives should have very little impact on the cost of the final product. For example, proprietary antioxidants Phos (phosphate) OX 1 and HP AOX 2 had no detectable EA, whereas HP AOX 1 and Ph (bisphenol) AOX 1 had reliably detectable EA [see Supplemental Material, Table 3 (doi:10.1289/ehp.1003220)]. Methods” for details). Notwithstanding, there is still an immense gap of information concerning the individual and mixed impacts of plastics.

Note also in Figure 2 that multiple extracts of the same product using the same solvent/stress combination typically gave rather similar %RME2 data, but different solvent/stress combinations gave very different results, from very high EA to nondetectable EA. Stresses increased the release of chemicals having EA. . Combined with packaging, period products create 200,000 tonnes of waste annually in the UK — it’s far from sustainable. They also cannot be recycled due to sanitary concerns.