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We present a list of Chemicals of Concern (CoCs) in plastic toys. We started from available studies reporting chemical composition of toys to group plastic materials, as well as to gather mass fractions and function of chemicals in these materials. Chemical emissions from plastic toys and subsequent human exposures were then estimated using a series of models and a coupled near-field and far-field exposure assessment framework. Comparing human doses with reference doses shows high Hazard Quotients of up to 387

Environmental contamination with pharmaceuticals is widespread, inducing risks to both human health and the environment. This paper explores potential societal solutions to human and veterinary pharmaceuticals in the aquatic environment. To this end, we adopt transition research’s multi-level perspective framework, which allows us to understand the dynamics underlying pharmaceutical emissions and to recognize social and technical factors triggering change. The authors' qualitative analysis is based on data collected through literature research and interviews with actors from pharmaceutical industry, the health

Endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) substantially cost society as a result of increases in disease and disability but—unlike other toxicant classes such as carcinogens—have yet to be codified into regulations as a hazard category.This Series paper examines economic, regulatory, and policy approaches to limit human EDC exposures and describes potential improvements. In the EU, general principles for EDCs call for minimisation of human exposure, identification as substances of very high concern, and ban on use in pesticides. In the USA, screening and

AbstractThe world faces an increasing need to phase out harmful chemicals and design sustainable alternatives across various consumer products and industrial applications. Alternatives assessment is an emerging field focusing on identifying viable solutions to substitute harmful chemicals. However, current methods fail to consider trade-offs from human and ecosystem exposures, and from impacts associated with chemical supply chains and product life cycles. To close this gap, we propose a life cycle based alternatives assessment (LCAA) framework for consistently integrating quantitative exposure

Microplastic contamination of the marine environment is widespread, but the extent to which the marine food web is contaminated is not yet known. The aims of this study were to go beyond visual identification techniques and develop and apply a simple seafood sample cleanup, extraction, and quantitative analysis method using pyrolysis gas chromatography mass spectrometry to improve the detection of plastic contamination.This method allows the identification and quantification of polystyrene, polyethylene, polyvinyl chloride, polypropylene, and poly (methyl methacrylate) in the

China is a major producer of paints which supplies a considerable share of paints in the world. Key paint production hot spots were identified as Guangdong, Shanghai, Jiangsu, Hunan and Shandong provinces and cities. The cost of removing existing decorative lead paint from surfaces in homes, schools, and other buildings is significant. By comparison, the cost for eliminating the use of lead compounds in new decorative paints is low and alternatives to lead additives are available for all types of

The World Health Organization (WHO) with the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) has launched the initiative called "Global Alliance to Eliminate Lead Paint" whose goal is to phase-out the manufacture and sale of paintings that contain lead thereby reducing the exposition to this metal and eliminating its risks and effects on the population.In Ecuador, CEER is the technical executor of the project “Lead-free paints”, carried out with the technical support of the Cleaner Production Centre of Serbia, experts from the

Lead in Nigerian paints is another route of lead into the environment and exposure can be caused as a result of inhalation or ingestion especially in children. In 2008, SRADeV Nigeria under the auspices of International Pollutants Elimination Network (IPEN) collected and analyzed decorative paints produced and/or marketed in Nigeria. All the sampled paint brands were found to contain lead higher than 90ppm, in fact up to an alarming level of 129,837ppm in one case. At that time, there were