Identification of POP candidates among chemicals in plastic: Screening for LRTP using the Emissions Fractions Approach

There is considerable interest in identifying chemicals with potential to undergo long-range environmental transport (LRET), accumulate in remote regions, and represent a possible risk to environmental and human health.

As empirical data will always remain limited when considering the large number of chemicals in commerce, the use of mathematical models play an important role in screening chemicals for LRET potential.

In this report, a list of 1,000 organic chemicals used in plastic, as well as selected brominated dioxins and furans (PBBD/Fs), were screened for their potential to be dispersed, transferred to, and accumulated in remote regions.

The screening was carried out applying a new set of LRTP metrics, collectively referred to as the emissions fractions approach (EFA), as implemented in a modified version of the OECD POV and LRTP (long-range transport potential) Screening Tool (The Tool).