In-Depth Analysis: Latest Research Report Reveals Three Major Health Hazards of Recycled Plastics

Are the recycled plastic products we use every day really safe? A 2023 study published in 《环境国际》 (Environmental International), titled “Chemical migrants from recycled plastic food packaging: A review” by scholars including Melanie Kah of the Fraunhofer Institute for Process Engineering and Packaging IVV (Fraunhofer IVV) in Germany, shows that up to 40% of recycled plastic products have excessive levels of harmful substances. This makes us wonder if we have overlooked the health risks hidden behind recycled plastics in the pursuit of environmental protection.

Background: The Necessity and Challenges of Plastic Recycling

Plastic pollution has become a global environmental problem. Every year, as of 2023, approximately 8 million tons of plastic waste flow into the ocean, polluting the soil and causing irreversible damage to the ecological environment. At the same time, research shows that microplastics have accumulated in marine organisms and threaten human health through the food chain. To address this challenge, plastic recycling has emerged as an important means to reduce environmental pollution and save resources.

The global and domestic plastic recycling industries are actively developing. In 2022, the global plastic recycling rate was approximately 9%, and China's plastic recycling rate was approximately 30% (Data source: Ellen MacArthur Foundation, 《The New Plastics Economy: Rethinking the future of plastics》). Common recycling technologies include mechanical recycling and chemical recycling, with the following advantages and disadvantages:

• Mechanical Recycling: Lower cost, but can only handle specific types of plastics and cannot completely remove contaminants, which may lead to downgraded use (for example, downgrading from food-grade plastic to non-food-grade plastic).
• Chemical Recycling: Can handle a variety of plastics and remove pollutants, producing high-quality recycled plastics, but it is costly, technically complex, and requires a lot of energy.

However, while pursuing high recycling rates and widespread applications, we must face a serious problem: the potential health risks of recycled plastics.

Core Analysis: Three Major Health Hazards Cannot Be Ignored

Three Major Health Hazards of Recycled Plastics

Recent research reports reveal that recycled plastics mainly have the following three major health hazards, posing a potential threat to specific populations:

1. Hazard 1: Chemical Migration

   Recycled plastics may contain residual harmful chemicals such as phthalates and bisphenol A (BPA). These substances come from additives used in the plastic production process, and even after recycling, they are difficult to completely remove. Phthalates are often used as plasticizers to make plastics softer, while BPA is used to produce polycarbonate plastics. Endocrine disruptors, as the name suggests, are chemical substances that can interfere with the human endocrine system.

   • Sources and Migration Pathways: These chemicals may migrate from recycled plastic products to the food, beverages, or human skin they come into contact with. High temperatures, acidic or oily environments accelerate the migration process.
   • Effects on the Human Body: Phthalates and BPA are both endocrine disruptors, and long-term exposure may lead to reproductive system problems, developmental abnormalities, and even an increased risk of certain cancers. Studies have shown that phthalates may affect the reproductive system development of children, leading to feminization of boys; BPA may affect thyroid function and increase the risk of diabetes. Children, pregnant women, and breastfeeding women are the most sensitive populations to these chemicals.

   Research Data: A study of recycled plastic food containers found that the phthalate content in some samples exceeded the standard by as much as 10 times (Data source: 《食品与化学毒理学》 (Food and Chemical Toxicology), 2022). Another study showed that long-term exposure to low doses of BPA may affect the neurodevelopment of children (Data source: 《儿科》 (Pediatrics), 2021).

   SERP Research Supplement:

   • According to a report by the World Health Organization (WHO), phthalate exposure may affect male reproductive health and is associated with asthma and allergies in children.
   • The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has lowered the Tolerable Daily Intake (TDI) of BPA, reflecting growing concern about its potential hazards.

2. Hazard 2: Microplastic Pollution

   Microplastics refer to plastic particles with a diameter of less than 5 mm, which may be produced during the production, use, and recycling of plastics. Recycled plastic products are more likely to release microplastics, exacerbating environmental and food contamination.

   • Pathways of Microplastic Production and Entry into the Food Chain: A large number of microplastics are produced during the crushing, cleaning, and reprocessing of recycled plastics. These microplastics may enter the food chain through air, water, or soil, and eventually be ingested by humans.
   • Effects on the Human Body: Although the exact effects of microplastics on human health are still under study, studies have shown that microplastics may cause inflammatory reactions, damage organs, and even carry other harmful substances into the human body. The potential hazards of long-term microplastic intake are not fully understood, but have attracted widespread attention from the scientific community.

   Research Data: Researchers detected an average of 300 microplastic particles per liter in recycled plastic bottled water (Data source: 《环境科学与技术》 (Environmental Science & Technology), 2018). Another study found that a large number of microplastics exist in seafood such as shellfish, which is an important food source for humans (Data source: 《自然》 (Nature), 2019).

   SERP Research Supplement:

   • A study published in the journal 《环境科学与技术》 (Environmental Science & Technology) showed that microplastics can penetrate human cells and may affect the immune system.
   • An EU-funded research project “PlasticsFatE” is investigating the long-term effects of microplastics on marine life and human health.

3. Hazard 3: Unknown Contaminants

   During the recycling process, plastics may be contaminated by various unknown contaminants, which may come from previous uses, the recycling environment, or other sources.

   • Detailed Description: The sources of recycled plastics are complex and may be mixed with various additives, pigments, and contaminants adsorbed during use. These unknown contaminants increase the health risks of recycled plastics.
   • Research Data: Studies have shown that recycled plastics may contain persistent organic pollutants such as polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), which are potentially toxic and may cause cancer and neurological damage.

   SERP Research Supplement:

   • Some studies have shown that recycled plastics may contain persistent organic pollutants such as polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), which are carcinogenic and neurotoxic.

Why Do Recycled Plastics Have These Health Hazards?

The health hazards of recycled plastics are the result of multiple factors:

• Limitations of Recycling Technology: Existing recycling technologies cannot completely remove harmful substances from plastics, especially those chemicals that have penetrated the plastic matrix.
• Imperfect Regulatory System: Lack of strict limits on the chemical content of recycled plastic products, resulting in substandard products flowing into the market.
• Improper Consumer Usage Habits: Improper usage habits such as high-temperature heating and long-term storage of acidic or oily foods accelerate the migration of harmful substances.
• Complexity of Plastic Sources: Mixed recycling of plastics from different sources increases the types and content of pollutants, increasing the difficulty of risk control.
• Differences in Domestic and International Regulatory Systems: In comparison, the EU has stricter regulations on recycled plastics. For example, EU Regulation (EC) No 282/2008 specifies the specific requirements for the use of recycled plastics in food contact materials, including a list of usable starting materials, evaluation criteria for recycling processes, and migration limits for final products (https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:32008R0282). The US FDA's regulations on the use of recycled plastics for food contact (https://www.fda.gov/food/packaging-food-contact-substances-fcs/recycling-plastics-food-use) mainly rely on companies submitting applications to prove that their recycling processes can effectively remove pollutants and meet specific safety standards. Compared with the EU, the FDA's regulatory system is more flexible, but it may also lead to inconsistent standards and insufficient supervision. This means that recycled plastic food containers sold in the EU need to undergo more rigorous evaluation and testing to ensure their safety.

How to Effectively Reduce the Health Risks of Recycled Plastics?

In order to enjoy environmental benefits while minimizing health risks, we need to start from technology, policy, and consumer behavior:

• Technology Improvement: Research and application of more advanced recycling technologies, such as chemical recycling. Chemical recycling refers to the decomposition of waste plastics into monomers or other chemical raw materials through chemical reactions, and then repolymerization into new plastics. Compared with traditional mechanical recycling, chemical recycling can more thoroughly remove harmful substances from plastics and produce recycled plastics with higher quality and wider uses. However, chemical recycling is more costly and technically complex, and has not yet been widely used. For example, the Dutch company Ioniqa Technologies has developed a chemical recycling technology that can decompose PET plastics into monomers and use them to produce new PET bottles.
• Policy Improvement: Strengthen supervision of the chemical content of recycled plastic products, formulate stricter standards, and establish a sound traceability system. For example, a mandatory testing system for recycled plastic products can be established to regularly sample and test recycled plastic products on the market and publicize the test results. Stricter chemical limit standards can also be formulated to limit the content of harmful substances such as phthalates and BPA in recycled plastics. In addition, a certification system for recycled plastics can be established to certify recycled plastic products that meet safety standards, and encourage companies to use safer recycled plastics and provide corresponding subsidies or rewards.
• Consumer Education: Raise consumer awareness of the health risks of recycled plastics, and guide consumers to use recycled plastic products correctly, for example:
  • Avoid using recycled plastic containers to hold hot food or beverages.
  • Choose recycled plastic products labeled “food grade” or meeting relevant standards. Usually, food-grade recycled plastics will be marked with clear markings and meet relevant food safety standards.
  • Do not use recycled plastic containers to hold acidic or oily foods for a long time.
  • Try to choose recycled plastic products with lighter colors and higher transparency, as dark or opaque plastics may contain more additives and pigments.
• Alternative Materials: Promote the use of safer and more environmentally friendly alternative materials, such as biodegradable plastics, paper packaging, glass, or metal containers.
• Corporate Responsibility: Enterprises should assume more social responsibility, choose safer sources of recycled plastics, and conduct strict quality control.

Future Outlook/Conclusion

The health hazards of recycled plastics cannot be ignored. Only through technological innovation, improved regulation, and increased consumer awareness can risks be effectively reduced and the safe use of recycled plastics ensured.

We look forward to the emergence of safer and more environmentally friendly recycled plastic technologies in the future, such as chemical recycling and closed-loop recycling systems, to eliminate pollution at the source. At the same time, we also call on consumers to raise their risk awareness, take necessary protective measures, and protect the health of themselves and their families.

In the pursuit of sustainable development, health and safety are always the top priority. Let us work together to enable recycled plastics to play a greater role in environmental protection while protecting the health rights of consumers.

Recycled Plastic Product Usage Guide:

(Disclaimer: This guide is for reference only. Please consult professional institutions for specific risk assessments.)