Without even realizing, you could be exposing yourself to plastic laden with harmful flame retardants. A recent study by Toxics Link, a not-for-profit environmental organisation in Delhi, reveals that most of the plastic containing flame retardants is being mixed with clean plastic during the recycling process.
The study, done under the Sustainable Recycling Industry (SRI) project, and supported by various organisations including World Resource Forum and Swiss Confederation, studied the recycling of plastics in Delhi, one of the largest plastic markets in the country. The city receives waste plastic from across the country and processes it in many of its recycling hubs like Mundka, Kamruddin Nagar, Karawal Nagar and Vishwas Nagar.
The research found that most of the plastic, containing flame retardants, is being mixed with ‘clean’ plastic during recycling process, especially in the informal plastic recycling operations. As BFRs are loosely bound with plastic, they get released during usage. So every time kids play with toys made of contaminated plastic, she or he might be inhaling or ingesting BFRs.
Brominated flame retardants are chemicals added to plastic parts of electronic gadgets like computers, televisions, cell phones, printers and refrigerators, etc. to make them less flammable. Many of these bromine-based chemicals are
highly toxic. BFRs like Polybrominated Diphenyl Ethers (PBDEs) have been banned in many countries globally as these are chemicals of high concern.Rapidly increasing levels of BFRs have been found in sediments, marine animals and human. This indicates significant potential for damage to ecology and human health. Research has found prolonged exposure to BFRs could lead to an array of health ailments, including thyroid hormone disruption, memory impairment, behavioural changes, delayed puberty onset, decreased sperm count and cancer in some cases.
The study revealed that India currently generated almost 1 lakh tonnes of contaminated plastic annually, with this figure expected to reach 1.7 lakh tonnes in 2018. Most of this huge quantity of plastic reaches the informal recycling sector, where majority of it is mixed with other plastics and recycled with no safety or health precautions.
This contaminated plastic is then used to make new products, and sold without any warnings or labels. The operations in many of the units located in these areas revealed the dangers of exposure to workers, as occupational health and safety norms are not followed here.
“92 percent of the workers in these areas are not aware of the hazards that they face and hence do not take any precaution. The dust and releases during the processes may have high concentrations of BFRs”, said Satish Sinha, associate director, Toxics Link.
The report highlighted the need to bring in specific guidelines for plastic use in different products in India. “The current e-waste rules have restricted some usage of BFRs in electronics and electrical equipment. However, existing or old products have these banned chemicals and there are no guidelines on how to manage them. The way it is being managed is dangerous,” said Priti Mahesh, chief programme coordinator, Toxics Link.
