The non-negligible environmental risk of recycling halogenated flame retardants associated with plastic regeneration in China.

Abstract

To investigate halogenated flame retardant (HFR) contents in recycled plastic materials, 23 recycled plastic samples manufactured in five Chinese provinces were randomly purchased online, and the ∑12HFR concentrations of these samples (including 8 polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs, BDE 28, 47, 99, 100, 154, 153, 183 and 209), decabromodiphenylethane (DBDPE), 1,2-bis(2,4,6-tribromophenoxy)ethane (BTBPE), and 2 dechlorane plus isomers (DP, syn-DP and anti-DP)) varied from ND to 169,000\u202fng\u202fg-1 (mean\u202f±\u202fSD, 46,900\u202f±\u202f44,700\u202fng\u202fg-1). BDE 209 and DBDPE were the dominant components and their concentration ranges were from ND to 106,000\u202fng\u202fg-1 and ND to 81,900\u202fng\u202fg-1, respectively. Generally, the HFR content and plastic variety closely correlate, and the ∑HFR concentrations in the polyvinyl chloride (PVC, N\u202f=\u202f5), polypropylene (PP, N\u202f=\u202f9), acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS, N\u202f=\u202f5), polystyrene (PS, N\u202f=\u202f1) and polyethylene (PE, N\u202f=\u202f3) samples were 65,300\u202f±\u202f42,400, 36,700\u202f±\u202f56,000, 30,000\u202f±\u202f25,200, 24,300 and 4330\u202f±\u202f7500\u202fng\u202fg-1, respectively. The HFR abundance in plastic from Guangdong (76,000\u202f±\u202f56,400\u202fng\u202fg-1, N\u202f=\u202f7) and Hebei (37,500\u202f±\u202f11,500\u202fng\u202fg-1, N\u202f=\u202f4) was much higher than that for other provinces/cities.