Framework for Risk Assessment of Plastic Additives

The ECETOC Plastic Additives Task Force has published the first of two peer reviewed articles in Environment International.

Plastic additives are already assessed under REACH and under sector specific rules for food contact materials, medical devices and toys. What is missing is a consistent approach for the later stages of the life cycle, when articles are recycled, reused or disposed of.

The framework fills that gap. It follows the WHO IPCS risk assessment paradigm and builds on ECETOC’s Conceptual Framework for Polymer Risk Assessment. Five modules run from problem formulation to risk characterisation, applied iteratively, with the assessment stopping as soon as risk can be excluded or managed.

The approach is risk based, so migration from the plastic matrix is quantified rather than assumed. It also offers a scoring scheme for prioritising additive and use combinations, with six worked examples, and reviews the databases, models and test methods currently available.

Part 2 will cover complex scenarios, including mixed recycling streams and transformation products.