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 ng g−1 (mean ± SD, 46,900 ± 44,700 ng g−1). BDE 209 and DBDPE were the dominant components and their concentration ranges were from ND to 106,000 ng g−1 and ND to 81,900 ng g−1, respectively. Generally, the HFR content and plastic variety closely correlate, and the ∑HFR concentrations in the polyvinyl chloride (PVC, N = 5), polypropylene (PP, N = 9), acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS, N = 5), polystyrene (PS, N = 1) and polyethylene (PE, N = 3) samples were 65,300 ± 42,400, 36,700 ± 56,000, 30,000 ± 25,200, 24,300 and 4330 ± 7500 ng g−1, respectively. The HFR abundance in plastic from Guangdong (76,000 ± 56,400 ng g−1, N = 7) and Hebei (37,500 ± 11,500 ng g−1, N = 4) was much higher than that for other provinces/cities.