Dangerous additives in plastic
Study uncovers thousands of chemicals of concern in plastics
A new study by Empa and international research teams shows: Plastics contain over 16,000 chemicals - many of which are potentially hazardous to humans and the environment. For the first time, the analysis provides a sound basis for making plastics safer, more transparent and more sustainable.
A recent study by the Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology (Empa) provides the first systematic overview of the large number of chemicals that can be contained in plastics. In addition to the properties and intended uses, Empa researchers, together with an international research team, have also described potential hazards. The study also provides a scientific approach to identifying chemicals of concern. This enables scientists and manufacturers to develop safer plastics and policy makers to promote a non-toxic circular economy.
Chemicals in plastics - a key issue for health and the environment
Plastics are omnipresent - from food packaging to car tires. They contain hundreds of chemicals, some of which can end up in food, living spaces and the environment. Many of these substances are known to be harmful to humans and the environment. Despite this, a comprehensive overview of the chemicals used has been lacking until now. This has made it difficult to develop targeted protective measures.
"Plastics should not actually contain any harmful chemicals. However, scientific research shows that they are either used intentionally or are unintentionally present in all types of plastics," explains Martin Wagner, lead author of the study and professor at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) in Trondheim. "This underlines the need to make plastics safer."
The global "plastosphere": more than 16,000 chemicals recorded
The study comprises the most comprehensive database to date on the chemical composition of plastics, the so-called "PlastChem" database. It lists a total of 16,325 chemicals. At least 4,200 of these plastic chemicals were classified by the researchers as harmful to health and the environment.
"It may seem daunting to deal with the large number of problematic plastic chemicals, but our study provides the tools to do so," says Zhanyun Wang, co-author of the study and scientist at Empa. "Simplifying the chemical composition of polymers is a prerequisite for the transition to a safe and sustainable circular economy for plastics."
The chemicals identified as being of concern can be found in all major types of plastic - including food packaging. In addition, all tested plastics can release potentially hazardous chemicals.
Bioassays as an alternative to chemical analysis
Ksenia Groh, co-author and group leader for bioanalytics at Eawag, describes another challenge: "Plastics can contain and release unknown substances such as impurities, foreign substances or degradation products."
To assess the toxicity of the chemicals released, the researchers rely on bioassays - biological tests that offer a practical alternative to pure chemical analysis. Groh explains: "This promising approach needs to be developed further in order to find wider application in the future."
Three fields of action for safer and more sustainable plastics
The study identifies three key ways to make plastics safer and more sustainable:
- Safer chemicals: Known chemicals of concern should be removed from plastics either through voluntary industry measures or statutory regulations.
- More transparency: As the industry does not currently disclose which chemicals are contained in which plastic products, the study calls for a significant improvement in transparency.
- Chemically simpler plastics: Plastics should be designed in such a way that they contain fewer chemicals. Only those substances whose safety has been thoroughly tested in advance should be used. This applies in particular to plastics that are reused or recycled.
Laura Monclús, lead author of the study and researcher at the Norwegian Geotechnical Institute (NGI) in Trondheim, summarizes: "There is currently great momentum to make plastics safer. Our study provides the scientific basis to achieve this goal and better protect human health and the environment from chemicals of concern in plastics."
With this well-founded overview and the proposed fields of action, the study makes an important contribution to making plastic products safer and more sustainable in the long term - for the protection of the environment and health.
Original publication:
Monclús, L., Arp, H. P. H., Groh, K. J., Faltynkova, A., Løseth, M. E., Muncke, J., Wang, Z., Wolf, R., Zimmermann, L., & Wagner, M. (2025). Mapping the chemical complexity of plastics. Nature. DOI:10.1038/s41586-025-09184-8
Source: EMPA
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