The screening of plastic additives under various conditions using LC-HRMS

Abstract

Plastic pollution has been a significant concern in contemporary society. Especially, the leaching of plastic additive has been highlighted due to the hazardous. Plastics have been used in various fields and the additives are leached out through their uses; they could be set under different environmental conditions: acidic conditions, drinking bottles containing soft beverages, and sweltering conditions, such as a car inside. Thus, the effect of pH and temperature was studied using LC-HRMS. The suspect and non-target screening were conducted to detect plastic additives leached to environmental media. This research also quantified target compounds consisting of phosphates. Consequently, compounds were the most detected in pH 7 and 50 °C experiments, followed by pH 3 and 50 °C experiments. According to the suspect screening, 31 compounds were identified, and 11 (7) compounds were additionally identified with non-target screening, presenting compounds that were assigned above confidence level 3. Additives were added a lot in the PS and PVC due to their properties (e.g., flexibility and lightness). Tris(2-butoxyethyl) phosphate, triphenyl phosphate, and dibutyl phthalate were detected, and these compounds were known as hazardous to organisms when they leached out. The quantification to investigate the effects of environmental parameters presented that pH had a minor effect on additive leaching; however, temperature was the significant factor. This research would be used in assessing the hazards of additives and give a vast scope of plastic pollution research.