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1997
Journal Article
Titel
Identification of Migratable Substances in Recycled High Density Polyethylene Collected from Household Waste
Alternative
Identifizierung migrierfähiger Substanzen in recyceltem Polyethylen hoher Dichte aus Haushaltsabfällen
Abstract
High density polyethylene regranules reprocessed from separated household waste collection were investigated for migratable contaminants which were not present in virgin material. Although the material originated from different European reprocessors, the detected recycling-specific compounds were similar in most of the investigated samples. In a chosen threshold concentration of 0.5 myg/g more than 70 compounds were tentatively identified. Aroma compounds and preservatives were found in the range of 0.5 to 10 myg/g. Limonene, di(ehtylhexyl) phthalate, and the isopropyl esters of myristic and palmitic acids were detected in concentrations up to 200 myg/g. These compounds were found in almost all the regranules. Most of the substances identified are constituents of personal hygiene products and cleaning agents and are therefore absorbed by the package during the storage. Owing to European food legislation and German cosmetics regulations, the use of such recycling packaging material appe ars suitable only for filling with technical products.