Chemists develop safe alternatives to phthalates used in plastics

摘要

Researchers at DC Santa Cruz have developed safer alternatives to the phthalate plasticizers used to enhance the suppleness,flexibility,and longevity of plastics.The problem with phthalates is that they leach out of plastics into food,water,and the environment,and there is mounting evidence suggesting that phthalate exposure can lead to a variety of health problems.Researchers led by Rebecca Braslau,professor of chemistry and biochemistry at UC Santa Cruz,addressed this problem by developing chemicals that are effective as plasticizers for polyvinyl chloride(PVC)but can't leach out of PVC products because they are chemically bonded to the polymer chain.The team reported their findings in a paper published in the Journal of Polymer Science Phthalates are used in a wide variety of products,but their most widespread use is as plasticizers for PVC,one of the most common types of plastic.After polypropylene and polyethylene,PVC is the third most common plastic polymer and is used to make products such as building materials,furniture,clothing,garden hoses,food packaging,blood-storage containers,and medical devices.