Polymers: BCPS Pollution Increasing

Determination of concentrations of bis(4-chlorophenyl) sulfone (BCPS: CAS No. 80-07-9) in fish and cormorants shows that the chemical has rapidly accumulated along the food chain. That’s the finding of scientists from the Austrian Federal Environment Agency. The detailed results will bepublished in January 2021 in Chemosphere.

Throughout the EU, BCPS is manufactured or imported in a quantity between 10,000 and 100,000 tons every year. The chemical serves as a raw material in the manufacture of polysulfone plastics and other temperature-resistant polymers. The crux of the problem is that the manufacture of plastic leaves remnants – small quantities of the monomer in the polymer matrix that can end up in the environment.

The scientists analyzed fish and tissue samples of cormorants, measuring the amount of BCPS in nanograms. The values found in cormorants were much higher than those found in fish. The authors consider the extrapolated biomagnification factor as extremely high, meaning that the chemical accumulates quite strongly.

In addition, the concentrations measured lie about 80% higher than the average values taken during a sequence of measurements between 2001-05. That means that BCPS pollution of the environment is increasing.

BCPS was placed on the CoRAP list of the ECHA last year.

If you have any questions about the safety of your products, please contact us at reach@kft.de

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