Work

Alternative plastic materials pose higher chemical hazard and aquatic ecotoxicity than conventional plastics

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: • Chemical hazard of alternative plastics is 2- to 3-fold higher than conventional. • -Food-contact certified materials pose similar risk than those not certified. • The top six materials with more reprotoxic phthalates were all alternative plastics. • Aquatic ecotoxicity of compostable materials is higher than that of PE materials. • Toxicological databases lack information on plastic additives, preventing risk assessment. A comparative ecotoxicological profile was conducted on plastic materials with the same use made of conventional polymers versus alternative, potentially biodegradable polymers, frequently marketed as “bio” with claims of lower ecological impact. The sensitive in vivo sea-urchin embryo test (SET) was used for the ecotoxicological characterization, and non-target chemical analyses using GC–MS for the chemical profiling. Toxicological properties of identified chemicals were compiled from ECHA, and NIH databases using an in-house developed Python tool, and qualitative and semiquantitative Chemical Hazard Indices (CHI) were calculated for each material. The alternative materials exhibited on average 2- to 3-fold higher CHI values compared to conventional materials. All PE items, including recycled and oxodegradable samples, lacked any in vivo ecotoxicity, whereas all compostable items showed a certain degree of in vivo toxicity except for the PLA cups. The top six materials containing the highest concentrations of category 1 reproductive toxicity phthalates were all alternative plastics: the recycled bag, compostable knives, PHB resin, and both home-compostable trash sacs. Therefore, while degradable plastics may contribute to reduce the environmental persistence of plastic items, they do not necessarily reduce their ecotoxicological impact, and may increase their chemical hazard.

Source: Aquatic Toxicology

DOI: 10.1016/j.aquatox.2025.107360

Authors: Ricardo Beiras, Alejandro Vilas, José Gómez Sieiro, Alexandre M. Schönemann, Filipe M.G. Laranjeiro

Institution: Universidade de Vigo

Language: English

Topic: Microplastics and Plastic Pollution

Subfield: Pollution

Field: Environmental Science

Domain: Physical Sciences

SDG: Responsible consumption and production

Open Access status: hybrid

Estimated APC paid: $3,320