GEORGE TOWN: Recently published data from 13 countries, including Malaysia, identified nearly 500 chemicals in recycled plastic pellets, including pesticides, industrial chemicals, PCBs and other toxic substances.

A total of 123 chemicals were detected in two samples of pellets from Malaysia that were analysed.

The Consumers' Association of Penang (CAP) said the data was especially relevant now as government officials from Malaysia would be participating in the Global Plastics Treaty negotiations in Ottawa, Canada later this month.

CAP president Mohideen Abdul Kader said as a participating organisation of the International Pollutants Elimination Network (IPEN), a global network of public interest groups working for a toxics-free future, they acquired recycled plastics (called plastic pellets) from recycling company in Penang and had them analysed for toxic chemicals.

He said the testing was conducted by a group of scientists in Sweden, Germany and Denmark and the data was recently published.

"In the first sample from Malaysia, a total of 107 chemicals were detected whilst in the second sample a total of 111 chemicals were detected. A total of 95 of these chemicals were present in both samples.

"Out of the 30 chemicals detected at the highest concentration, it is noted that half were traces from various stages of the production of different types of plastics. These 30 chemicals also included several bioactive substances, including pesticides such as chlorpyrifos, and pharmaceuticals. In addition, they included three Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs).

"At the Global Plastic Treaty talks, some countries favour approaches that would rely on plastic recycling as a significant tool for resolving the plastics crisis.

"But the new data adds to the increasing evidence that plastic recycling is a vector for the spread of toxic chemicals and therefore should not be considered a useful tool in the struggle to end the health and environmental threats from plastics," he said today.

Elaborating, Mohideen said chemicals found in recycled plastics might already be making us more susceptible to cancer, heart disease, reproductive disorders, diabetes, obesity and other serious health conditions.

He said plastics were made with toxic chemicals.

"So, when plastic is recycled, these chemicals end up in the recycled material.

"An effective Plastics Treaty needs to address the health and environmental threat from plastic chemicals and include approaches to control plastic production. 

"We cannot recycle our way out of the toxic plastic problem," he added.

Many previous reports, according to Mohideen, have found that plastic recycling is a vector for spreading toxic chemicals.

Plastics are made with 16,000 chemicals, at least 25 per cent of which are known to be toxic.

For most of the remaining chemicals, there is no information on their human health or environmental impacts.

Recycled plastics can also contain chemical contaminants from the way the original plastics are used.

"For example, if plastic pesticide containers are recycled, the toxic pesticides can end up in the recycled material. Also, the process of plastic recycling can create new toxic substances, adding even more chemicals to recycled plastic.

"This means that workers in plastic recycling facilities, consumers who use recycled plastic products, waste workers who handle recycled plastics, and communities near recycling and waste operations are all at risk from exposure to toxic chemicals.

"Currently, there are no international requirements to monitor chemicals in recycled plastics or make the chemical content of plastic materials and products publicly available and accessible. 

"This means that the spread of chemicals from recycled plastics is currently untraceable and uncontrollable.

https://www.nst.com.my/news/nation/2024/04/1039516/recycled-plastic-pellets-malaysia-contain-hundreds-toxic-chemicals-cap