A data synthesis framework and case study supporting risk-based prioritization of additives and polymer-associated...

Area of Science:

• Polymer chemistry and environmental science.
• Chemical risk assessment and regulatory science.

Background:

• Polymers and plastics are integral to numerous industries, driving demand for their functional properties and cost-effectiveness.
• Growing plastic use necessitates comprehensive health and environmental impact assessments, including associated chemicals.
• Existing regulations address individual chemicals (APAC) and finished products separately, creating complexity in risk evaluation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To propose a data synthesis framework for practical screening and prioritization of Additives and Polymer-Associated Chemistries (APAC).
• To facilitate downstream human health and environmental risk assessments of APAC within articles.
• To evaluate the framework's utility and data accessibility using a comprehensive APAC dataset.

Main Methods:

• Developed a data synthesis framework to gather, organize, and process data for APAC risk assessment.
• Conducted a case study using 13,186 APAC from the UNEP Chemicals in Plastics report.
• Assessed the availability of publicly accessible data for risk-based screening and prioritization.

Main Results:

• The data synthesis framework proved effective in organizing and processing APAC data.
• A significant portion of the UNEP database APAC has readily accessible Tier 1+ data.
• 66.9% of APAC had sufficient data for human health risk assessment, and 68.8% for environmental risk assessment.

Conclusions:

• The proposed framework provides a practical approach for managing and assessing the risks of APAC.
• Sufficient public data exists to support initial risk-based screening and prioritization for a majority of APAC.
• This framework aids in addressing the complexity and scale of chemical assessments in the plastics industry.