Hazardous Chemicals

Halogenated Flame Retardants (HFRs)

HFRs are additive chemical flame retardants used in a range of common consumer products, household items, and vehicular seating materials. They are variously added to plastics, textiles, cushioning foams, insulation foams in a huge range of items such as: furniture, mattresses, curtains, carpets, electrical appliances, vehicle interiors, and building insulation. Some of the most commonly-used additive flame retardants include Brominated Flame Retardants (PBFs) and Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs), many of which are now banned or heavily restricted due to their hazardous properties. Replacements for these banned substances include novel BFRs (NBFRs) and Chlorinated Organophosphate Flame Retardants (Cl-OPFRs), which are also under intense scrutiny due to similar concerning properties to their banned predecessors.

 Per/Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFASs)

PFASs or “forever chemicals” have found extensive use in products requiring water and stain-repellant properties such as clothing and textiles, food packaging, food-contact articles, cookware, fire-fighting foams, cleaning products, and paints. Some of the most commonly used PFASs in the last few decades include Perfluorooctane Sulphonic Acid (PFOS) and Perfluorooctanoic Acid (PFOA), both of which are now banned for use in the EU and many jurisdictions worldwide. Replacement PFASs, similar to the case for HFRs, are also under scrutiny due to their similarly long environmental half-life and potentially similar hazardous properties.
 

Antibiotics and Antiparasitics

Antibiotics and Antiparasitics are used every day for a myriad of health-related concerns and are undoubtedly or huge benefit to humanity. However, ever-increasing production and overuse of antibiotics and antiparasitcs has been shown in some areas to be taken up the environment with deleterious effects to the environment and other living organisms, as well as the increasing instances of antimicrobial and antiparasitic resistance and so-called “superbugs” which are more immune to conventional medications. While these medicines are essential for human/animal health and wellbeing, their environmental uptake must be assessed and the resulting impact assesses.
 

Pyrethroids (Pesticides and Insecticides)

Pesticides and insecticides are typically used in agricultural applications in order to reduce insect and pest populations and improve crop yields. Pyrethroids in particular are extensively used  in many applications due to their efficacies and their relatively low environmental half-life; being degraded by UV radiation in a matter of days. However, they have been shown to persist for much longer in matrices such as sediments, where they can be taken up by aquatic organisms to which pyrethroids are also acutely toxic. Unregulated use of pyrethroids is therefore of concern as high environmental uptake can have knock-on effects on aquatic organisms and also bioaccumulate up through the food chain.
 

Sunscreen Agents (SSAs) and Ultraviolet Filters (UVFs)

SSAs and UVFs are extremely common and extensively used in the form of sunscreen lotions. In a similar vein to Pyrethroids, these chemicals generally have a relatively short environmental half-life, though have a propensity to be taken up and accumulate in sediments upon entering the ocean or inland watercourses. These can then in turn be taken up by aquatic organisms and bioaccumulate through the food chain, eventually reaching hazardously high concentrations.  It is estimated that around 14,000 tonnes of sunscreen agents known to be toxic enters the ocean annually, which many more such agents entering the environment for which the toxicity is as yet unknown.