Part of the action needed to tackle #plastic pollution is to update regulations on #polymers.
In our recent #OA review we comment on how #REACH and other regulations can better address hazards of polymers used in plastics and for other purposes
https://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlelanding/2023/EM/D2EM00386D
(1/n)
Regulations should have (i) increased transparency about chemical identities, physical characteristics and grouping approaches for in-use polymers
(2/n)
(ii) improved understanding of the environmental fate of polymers and materials composed of polymers across size and density categories and exposure profiles
- the figure below shows different ways polymers and plastics over diverse size ranges manifest in the environment
(3/n)
(iii) comprehensive assessment of the environmental hazards of polymers, considering the effects of degradation and weathering and taking into account the actual uptake, long-term toxicity, and geophysical impacts
- such as for the #detriticorganplastoids below
(4/n)
(iv) consideration of the production volume and use/release patterns in determining regulatory data and testing requirements
Many thanks to @KseniaGroh , @MattMacL and @ZhanyunWang for fantastic collaboration on this!
Thanks Elizabeth Ellenwood for providing the images of #nurdles and #detriticorganoplastoids :-)
Funding: @ZeroPM_H2020 @HorizonEU & #SLUDGEFFECT @forskningsradet & @FulbrightPrgrm