IVL Svenska Miljöinstitutet

Denna agenda är framtagen under 2019 och 2020. Utgångspunkten för agendan och de områden som lyfts upp baseras på de behov som IKEMs Forsknings- och Innovationskommité identifierat.

Agendan har därefter utvecklats ytterligare tillsammans med representanter från industrin och forskning vid tre tematiska workshops under hösten 2019. I agendan lyfts tre fokusområden; cirkuläritet av plast, processutveckling för specialkemikalier från klimatsmarta råvaror samt användning av klimatsmarta material och kemikalier i infrastruktur och samhällsbyggnad. Då IKEM har 1400 medlemsföretag varav en handfull sitter i kommittén kan det så klart inte omfatta alla områden som är relevanta. Nya områden kan därför komma att läggas till på sikt.

Safe-and-sustainable-by-design (SSbD) is central in the European Chemicals Strategy for Sustainability, yet a common understanding of what SSbD is in concept and in practice isstill needed. A comparison of current SSbD descriptions and approaches was made and lessons learned were derived from value chain discussions (packaging, textile, construction,automotive, energy materials, electronics, and fragrances value chains) to help provide input on how to implement SSbD in practice.

Five important building blocks were identified:design, data, risk and sustainability governance, competencies, and social and corporate strategic needs. Other lessons learned include the identification of the biggest safety andsustainability challenges in a lifecycle-thinking approach towards the development of purpose-driven innovations, and connecting trans-disciplinary experts to the innovation process, already from the early phases. A clear understanding of what SSbD is and how to implement the SSbD framework is needed with clear procedures and incentives to support the industrial sector, especially SMEs.

Halomethoxybenzenes (HMBs) are a group of compounds with natural and anthropogenic origins. Here weextend a 2002e2015 survey of bromoanisoles (BAs) in the air and precipitation at Rå€o on the Swedish westcoast and Pallas in Subarctic Finland. New BAs data are reported for 2018 and 2019 and chlorinated HMBsare included for these and some previous years: drosophilin

A methyl ether (DAME: 1,2,4,5-tetrachloro-3,6-dimethoxybenzene), tetrachloroveratrole (TeCV: 1,2,3,4-tetrachloro-5,6-dimethoxybenzene), and penta-chloroanisole (PeCA). The order of abundance of HMBs at Rå€o was SBAs > DAME > TeCV > PeCA, whereasat Pallas the order of abundance was DAME > SBAs > TeCA > PeCA. The lower abundance of BAs at Pallasreflects its inland location, away from direct marine influence.

Clausius-Clapeyron (CC) plots of log partialpressure (Pair)/Pa versus 1/T suggested distant transport at both sites for PeCA and local exchange for DAMEand TeCV. BAs were dominated by distant transport at Pallas and by both local and distant sources at Rå€o.Relationships between air and precipitation concentrations were examined by scavenging ratios, SR ¼ (ngm3)precip/(ng m3)air.

SRs were higher at Pallas than Rå€o due to greater Henry's law partitioning of gaseouscompounds into precipitation at colder temperatures. DAME is produced by terrestrial fungi. We screened19 fungal species from Swedish forests and found seven of them contained 0.01e3.8 mg DAME per kg freshweight.

We suggest that the volatilization of DAME from fungi and forest litter containing fungal myceliamay contribute to atmospheric levels at both sites.

Siptex (Swedish Innovation Platform for Textile Sorting) is a research project funded by Sweden’s Innovation Agency's Challenge-driven innovation initiative. As a new step in the textile value chain, Siptex aims to create the conditions for increased profitability in the handling of the ever-increasing amounts of textile waste that are collected for material recycling and an increase in fibre-to-fibre recycling of textiles. 

This report focuses on the work carried out in the work package called “Quality assurance”. There were two main goals within this work. The first goal was to enable the establishment of a range of quality assured products. The second goal was to increase the knowledge on hazardous chemicals in post-consumer textiles in general.

Five different outbound products of specific fibre content have been developed based on market demand. The products are referred to as ReFab® by SYSAV and include Siptex sorted materials of different purities of cotton, polyester and acrylics. 

For the quality assurance process, a method was developed to take representative textile samples from the bales of post-consumer materials, using a hay sampler and an extensive shredding process to product homogenous samples of shredded textile fibres. In the Siptex project, a total of 15 samples per bale was considered to be both practical as well as likely to give a good representation of the contents in a certain bale. This number is the result of a small pilot study which is described in this report. This method can be supplemented by a more routine analysis in which samples are taken by hand to monitor sorting efficiencies. 

The increase the knowledge on hazardous chemicals in post-consumer textiles, the project investigated existing data on hazardous chemicals in post-consumer textiles and supplemented this with new data generated from chemical analyses on bales of Siptex sorted materials made of cotton, polyester, and acrylics. 

The analysis of the literature data and the results from the chemical analysis of Siptex samples, indicate that compliance with REACH due to presence of hazardous chemicals, likely is not an issue in the sorted post-consumer textiles. Post-consumer textiles also seem to clear Oeko-tex and AFIRM requirements for the majority of the chemical substances on these restricted substance lists. But not all samples clear all the requirements from Oeko-tex or AFIRM. Bales with polyester materials were found to be most likely in breach of Oeoko-tex or AFIRM requirements. Three remaining challenges were identified and discussed in the report. These include the need for more standards, further development of the colour sorting process and a need for more analyses and data-sharing on hazardous substances in post-consumer textiles.

Inom ramen för ett forskningsprojekt, samfinansierat av Västtrafik och Stiftelsen IVL, har emissionerna från individuella Euroklass VI-gasbussar samt bränsledrivna värmare i elbussar karakteriserats, totalt 37 st. (20 gasbussar och 17 värmare).

En extraktiv mätmetod har använts där omgivningsluften kontinuerligt provtas och koncentrationerna av både gaser och partiklar mäts med hög tidsupplösning (≥1 Hz).

Emissionsfaktorer (EF) beräknas genom att använda kolbalansmetoden, där fullständig förbränning och en viss kolfraktion i bränslet antas. Resultaten rapporteras som föroreningarnas massa (alt. antal) per kilo förbrukat bränsle. 

In 2013, a screening survey including fish (European perch, Perca fluviatilis) from 20 locations in the Stockholm region of Sweden indicated exceptionally high levels of PCBs (>450 ng ΣPCB7/g ww) in Lake Oxundasjön. An extensive sampling program was launched to define the magnitude and area of impact of PCBs. Moreover, a dynamic mass balance model approach was applied to identify and quantify key transport processes and predict the long-term turnover of PCBs given various remediation scenarios.Based on the dating of sediment profiles, primary emissions of PCBs to Lake Oxundasjön have likely occurred from the end of the 1940s until 1980, reaching the lake via one of its tributaries. Presently, the main source of PCBs is diffusion from the lake sediments. From the lake outlet, >400 g ΣPCB7/yr are transported to LakeMälaren (the third largest lake in Sweden), supplying drinkingwater for parts of the Stockholm area. Remediation actions are necessary to reduce the PCB levels in fish below today's marketing limits and environmental quality standards.

With natural recovery, our results indicate that the PCB levels in non-migratory fish from Lake Oxundasjön will be elevated for decades to come. The mass of PCBs stored in the lake sediments was estimated, and to our knowledge, Lake Oxundasjön is the most heavily PCB contaminated lake in Sweden. The system constitutes a unique opportunity to test and develop a mathematical mass balance model for PCBs, with substantial data acquired from different aquatic matrices. The model presented in the paper is applicable for risk assessments of PCBs, and the results contribute to the general understanding of the transport and turnover dynamics of PCBs in aquatic ecosystems.

Given their extensive production volumes and potential to form persistent perfluoroalkyl acids (PFAAs), there is concern surrounding the ongoing use of side-chain fluorinated polymers (SFPs) in consumer products.

Targeted SFP quantification relies on matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry, which can suffer from poor accuracy and high detection limits.

Alternatively, total fluorine (TF)-based methods may be used, but these approaches report concentrations on a “fluorine equivalent” basis (e.g., fluorine per square meter in the case of textiles) and are incapable of elucidating structure or chain length.

Here a new method for comprehensive characterization of SFPs is presented, which makes use of the total oxidizable precursor assay for fingerprint-based structural elucidation and combustion ion chromatography for TF quantification. When used in parallel, quantitative determination of SFPs (in units of mass of CnF2n+1 per square meter of textile) is achieved.

Expressing SFP concentrations in terms of the mass of the side chain (as opposed to fluorine equivalents) facilitates estimation of both the structure and quantity of PFAA degradation products.

As a proof of principle, the method was applied to six unknown SFP-coated medical textiles from Sweden. F

our products contained C6-fluorotelomer-based SFPs (concentration range of 36–188 mg of C6F13/m2), one contained a C4-sulfonamide-based SFP (718 mg of C4F9/m2), and one contained a C8-fluorotelomer-based SFP (249 mg of C8F17/m2).

Background: Cobalt (Co) causes allergic contact dermatitis (ACD) and the emerging use of Co nanoparticles (CoNPs) warrants gaining further insight into its potential to elicit ACD in sensitized individuals.

Objectives: The aims of the study were to clarify to what extent CoNPs may elicit ACD responses in participants with Co contact allergy, and to evaluate whether the nanoparticles cause a distinct immune response compared with cobalt chloride (CoCl2) in the skin reactions.

Methods: Fourteen individuals with Co contact allergy were exposed to CoNPs, CoCl2, a Co-containing hard-metal disc (positive control), and an empty test chamber (negative control) by patch testing. Allergic responses were evaluated clinically by a dermatologist at Days 2, 4 and 7. At Day 2, patch-test chambers were removed, and remaining test-substance and skin-wipe samples were collected for inductive-coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) analysis.

Additionally, skin biopsies were taken from patch-test reactions at Day 4 for quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction analysis, histopathology and ICP-MS analysis of Co skin penetration.

Results: Patch testing with CoNPs elicited allergic reactions in Co-sensitized individuals. At all timepoints, clinical assessment revealed significantly lower frequencies of positive patch-test reactions to CoNPs compared with CoCl2 or to the positive control. CoNPs elicited comparable immune responses to CoCl2. Chemical analysis of Co residues in patch-test filters, and on skin, shows lower doses for CoNPs compared with CoCl2.

Conclusions: CoNPs potently elicit immune responses in Co-sensitized individuals. Even though patch testing with CoNPs resulted in a lower skin dose than CoCl2, identical immunological profiles were present. Further research is needed to identify the potential harm of CoNPs to human health.

Food contact materials (FCMs) can contain hazardous chemicals that may have the potential to migrate into food and pose a health hazard for humans.

Previous studies have mainly focused on plastic materials, while data on packaging materials made from paper and cardboard are limited.

We used a panel of cell-based bioassays to investigate the presence and impact of bioactive chemicals on human relevant endpoints like oxidative stress, genotoxicity, inflammation, xenobiotic metabolism and endocrine system effects in extracts made from paper and cardboard.

In total, 23 methanol extracts of commonly used paper and cardboard available on the Swedish market were extracted as a whole product using methanol to retrieve polar substances, and tested at concentrations 0.3–10 mg/mL and 0.2–6 mg/mL. At the highest concentration bioactivities were observed in a high proportion of the samples: oxidative stress (52%), genotoxicity (100%), xenobiotic metabolism (74%), antiandrogenic- (52%) and antioestrogenic receptor (39%).

Packages of potential concern included cake/pastry boxes/mats, boxes for infant formula/skimmed milk, pizza boxes, pizza slice trays and bag of cookies.

It should be noted that the extraction for packages like cake/pastry boxes can be considered exaggerated, as the exposure usually is shorter. It can be hypothesised that the observed responses may be explained by inks, coatings, contaminants and/or naturally occurring compounds within the material.

To summarise, an effect-based approach enables hazard identification of chemicals within FCMs, which is a valuable tool for ensuring safe use of FCMs.

Background: Food contact articles are used in our everyday life and information regarding the potential health hazards of migrating chemicals for humans is scarce. In this study, an effect-based evaluation of non-polar extracts of food contact articles made of paper and board was conducted with a panel of eight bioassay endpoints. These, health-relevant endpoints, included oxidative stress, inflammation, genotoxicity, xenobiotic metabolism and hormone receptor effects.

Results: In total, 62 food contact articles were pooled into 19 groups, in which articles intended to be used for similar types of food item(s) were pooled, and extracted with acetone:n-hexane (1:4). These were then tested in the effectbased bioassays. Bioactivities were detected for multiple materials in six out of eight assays, the two assays showing no effects were NFκB and androgen receptor agonistic response. In essence, the detection rates of the tested non-polar extracts were 72% for antagonistic effects on the estrogen receptor, 72% for antagonistic effects on the androgen receptor, 47% for oxidative stress, 28% for agonistic effects on the estrogen receptor and 33% for genotoxicity. The bioequivalent concentrations ranges in extracts of 10 mg food contact article/mL cell culture media were: for oxidative stress from 2.45 to 5.64 μM tBHQ equivalents, estrogen receptor agonistic activity from 1.66 to 6.33 ρM estradiol equivalents, estrogen receptor antagonistic activity from 1.21 × 10–3 to 4.20 × 10–3 μM raloxifene equivalents and androgen antagonistic activity 0.08–0.46 μM hydroxyflutamide equivalents.

The extracts that were bioactive in multiple assays were: baking moulds, boxes for popcorn, infant formula/skimmed milk, porridge/flour mixes, pizza, fries’ and hamburgers as well as packages for frozen food.Conclusion: Non-polar extracts of food contact articles contain compounds that can activate molecular initiating events in toxicity pathways of high relevance to human health. These events included endocrine-disruptive activities, oxidative stress and genotoxicity. Effect-based methods proved to be a valuable tool for evaluating food package articles, as they can detect potentially hazardous effects of both known and unknown chemicals as well as potentialcocktail effects.

Sammansättningen av fordonsbränslen har förändrats sedan 2018 beroende på reduktionsplikten, som innebär att en ökande andel biobaserat innehåll måste blandas in i fossila bränslen. Eftersom egenskaper såsom lukt och ekotoxicitet är komplexa och beror av hur blandningar av ämnen är sammansatta, betyder det att gamla data inte är tillämpliga. Luktegenskaper är viktiga för dricksvattenproducenter, medan ekotoxiciteten är viktig för prioriteringen av saneringsinsatser vid spill. 

Målen för den här studien har därför varit att: 1) kvantifiera innehållet i ett antal vanliga diesel- och bensinbränslen som säljs i Sverige, 2) kvantifiera lukttrösklar för dessa bränslen i dricksvatten, 3) undersöka ekotoxiciteten från HVO (hydrogenated vegetable oil) och diesel med RME-tillsats (rapsmetylester), samt 4) undersöka om det är möjligt att prediktera lukt i vatten baserat på koncentrationer i en bränsle/vatten-blandning. I studien har sammanlagt åtta bränslen testats, varav fyra stycken var dieselbränslen (HVO 100, MK1 diesel med HVO, MK1 diesel med RME och MK1 diesel) och fyra stycken innehöll bensin/etanol i olika omfattning (E85, E05, E10 med biobensin och E10). HVO 100 och MK1 diesel med RME användes för ekotoxtester på alger, bakterier, kräftdjur och nedbrytningstest. Bensin/etanol-bränslen löstes effektivare i vatten än dieselbränslen. Detta beror på att de innehåller en högre andel ämnen som är mer vattenlösliga, exempelvis etrar och lätta aromatiska föreningar, men också på inblandningen av etanol i bränslena. E85-bränslet gav de högsta koncentrationerna i vattenblandningen, trots att andelen bensin bara är 15 %. En liknande effekt på löslighet kunde obserververas för RME i dieselbränslena, om än inte i lika hög utsträckning. Luktegenskaperna hos bränslen i vatten bestämdes till absolut största delen av hur mycket etrar som lösts i vatten.

I det 98 oktaniga E05 bränslet fanns högst koncentration i bränslet och den eter som fanns i E85 löstes effektivast i vatten, vilket gjorde att lukttrösklarna för dessa låg vid 0,0017 % inblandning av vatten/bränsleblandning i rent vatten för E05-bränslet och 0,0042 % för E85. Etrarna var så drivande för lukten att koncentrationen av dessa kunde prediktera lukten i en vattenlösning med god precision. De ekotoxikologiska testerna visade i regel mild eller ingen effekt från bränslena på de testade organismerna. Undantaget var för reproduktionen hos kräftdjur som stördes av MK1 diesel med RME. Den låga lösligheten hos de två testade dieselbränslena i vatten gav för låga koncentrationer av kolväten i bränsle-/vattenblandningen för att genomföra giltiga nedbrytningstester 

The expanding petrochemical industry depends on fossil fuels both as feedstock and a source of energy and is at the heart of the intertwined global crises relating to plastics, climate, and toxic emissions. Addressing these crises requires uprooting the deep-seated lock-ins that sustain petrochemical plastics. This perspective identifies lock-ins that stand in the way of ambitious emission reductions and ending plastic pollution. We emphasize that addressing the growing plastic production and consumption requires confronting the political economy of petrochemicals.

We put forward key elements needed to address the dual challenges of moving away from the unsustainable production of plastics and drastically reducing emissions from the petrochemical sector and argue for attention to the links between fossil fuels and plastics, which in turn involves challenging entrenched power structures and vested interests linked to the fossil-based plastics economy. A critical step would be ensuring attention to the production of petrochemicals and related upstream issues in the upcoming global plastics treaty.