Environmental Science and Pollution Research
Fig. 4 Classification of organic co m pounds identified in printing inks into groups according to their use ( a ); nu m ber of co m pounds identified in each group ( b )
constituents such as N,N ƍ - m ethylenebis-2-propena m ide and benzophenone, as well as the adhesion-pro m oting co m pound 2-pyrrolidinone. Additional contributors to HH classification were co m ono m ers and resins, including phthalic anhydride, isothiocyanatocyclohexane, and various polyurethane res- ins. Available data on benzophenone concentrations in waste paper are li m ited. Liu and Mabury (2021) reported levels of 11.5 m g/kg in food packaging m edia. In the present study, benzophenone was detected exclusively in m ixed paper and cardboard sa m ples, with concentrations of 53.8 m g/kg and 23.4 m g/kg, respectively. The highest concentrations of co m pounds classified as environ m ental hazards (EH) were identified in office paper, pri m arily originating fro m printing inks. In virgin wood, EH-classified substances include pesticides such as p-ter- phenyl and 5-heptyldihydro-2(3H)-furanone, which were also detected in journal and cardboard sa m ples. EH co m - pounds used in printing inks enco m pass various solvents, including 2,6-diisopropylnaphthalene (DINP), 4-tert-octyl- phenol, 6-undecanone, butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT), and 2,5-bis(1,1-di m ethylethyl)−1,4-benzenediol—as well as the dispersant resorcinol. In ther m al recording paper, inks co mm only contain ethylene glycol diphenyl ether and 1-dodecanol, while 6-hydroxy-6- m ethyl-bicyclo[3.3.0] octan-3-one is used to reduce surface tension. BHT, a widely e m ployed synthetic phenolic antioxidant, is used across nu m erous product categories; approxi m ately 6% of global BHT production is designated for printing ink appli- cations. Concentrations of BHT in food packaging m ateri- als range fro m 0.24 to 0.95 m g/kg, whereas m agazine waste paper shows levels between 0.040 and 0.37 m g/kg (Liu And Mabury 2021). These values are nearly tenfold lower than the concentrations observed in office paper. Elevated levels of DINP are associated with the use of recycled paper, where DINP replaced polychlorinated biphenyls previously used in
was found in cardboard (23.4 ± 2.7 m g/kg) and m ixed paper m aterial (53.8 ± 7.9 m g/kg). Co m parative infor m ation is only available for cardboard packaging m aterials, where the concentrations of benzophenone ranged fro m 20 to 330 m g/ m 2 (Liu And Mabury 2021). Due to its potential health risks, the use of BPA as a plas- ticizer is subject to regulatory scrutiny. In 2024, the Euro- pean Co mm ission proposed a ban on the use of bisphenol A in plastics intended for food contact. The draft regulation would strictly prohibit BPA in m anufacturing food-contact plastics, varnishes, coatings, printing inks, and related indus- trial applications. Undifferentiated co m pounds fro m paper or printing inks containing KODAFLEX TXIB and DiBP also show high concentrations of agents with HH. The highest con- centrations of DiBP, up to 437 ± 38 m g/kg, were found in cardboard. The lowest concentrations in office paper were 22.5 ± 9.7 m g/kg. The highest concentrations of DiBP in cardboard were also confir m ed by Pivnenko et al. (2015). They report 3 m g/kg for office paper and 32 m g/kg for card- board, which is due to the addition of recycled paper. There is a significant difference between our values and concentra- tions, as reported by Pivnenko et al. (2015). The values are difficult to co m pare because waste paper contains a variety of co m pounds as additives; data on their presence is sparse. The proportion of health hazard (HH) co m pounds originating fro m virgin wood was found to be significant (Fig. 5). A m ong the prevailing substances were 1,2-dihy- dro-3H-1,2,4-triazol-3-one (a pesticide) and 3-oxo-2-pentyl- cyclopentaneacetic acid m ethyl ester (an insecticide). Their presence aligns with findings reported by Růžičková et al. (2021), confir m ing the persistence of agroche m ical residues in virgin wood. In m ixed paper m aterials, HH co m pounds were m ost prevalent a m ong substances derived fro m printing inks, particularly solvents. These included UV-curable ink
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