Page 37 - Plastics News April 2017

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

California spray polyurethane New Zealand to ban microbeads

foam safety proposal slammed in mid-2018

he proposal by California’s Department of Toxic ew Zealand will ban personal care products
TSubstances Control to list spray polyurethane Ncontaining plastic microbeads starting July 1, 2018.
foam that contain unreacted MDI as priority products NZ Environment Minister Nick Smith said microbeads,
under the state’s Safer Consumer Products Program usually manufactured
has caused consternation among industry bodies. “We from polyethylene
are deeply disappointed by DTSC’s decision,” said the or polyp ropy le n e ,
American Chemistry Council pose a lon g-t e rm
in a statement. “In the more risk to aquatic and
than three years since SPF marine environments.
was first suggested for this “Micr o beads ar e
program, industry has provided too small to retrieve
extensive data and science to or recycle, do not
DTSC that clearly illustrates biodegrade, and are
SPF does not meet the minimum listing criteria set by the mistaken by marine
department’s own regulations.”The SPF chemical/product life as food, causing
combination is well studied and controlled, ACC added, long-term damage to
and multiple regulatory controls are already in place to aquatic animals like
address the risk of worker exposure to unreacted MDI. fish and mussels. Use of microbeads in personal care
Furthermore, ACC claimed that the state’s own public products makes no sense when there are biodegradable
health monitoring programme reports no incidence of alternatives, like apricot kernels and ground nuts, that
workplace asthma related to SPF or MDI in the past decade. achieve the same results,” Smith said. Smith said more
The Spray Polyurethane Foam Alliance also expressed than 10,000 metric tons of microbeads are used annually
disappointment. “While SPFA understands and emphasizes around the world and some manufacturers have already
that the recent DTSC announcement is not a ban of spray agreed to phase them out. “This initiative is part of a
polyurethane foam (or the use of diisocyanates found global push to reduce the amount of plastic culminating
in a multitude of consumer products), it considers the in the oceans, with estimates indicating there will be
announcement unfortunate as it undermines the desire more plastic in the ocean than fish by 2050,” he said.
among California private and professional customers’ for Smith said NZ is a small consumer of microbead products
a safe and effective building product that delivers on by international comparison but the ban is “important
performance,” SPFA said in a statement. for maintaining NZ’s good name in marine stewardship.”
“There are several aspects of this DTSC announcement Companies that continue to sell products containing
in California that the industry finds troubling, including microbeads after the ban is imposed face maximum
department references and comparisons to specific fines of NZ$100,000 (US$73,200). Environmental groups
isocyanates material in SPF that are not actually in SPF, Greenpeace New Zealand and Plastic Diet, a group
unqualified references to asthma rates among workers dedicated to eliminating single-use plastic products,
in the polyurethanes industry, unproven statements as have backed Smith’s ban. Most personal care products
to ‘suspected’ medical consequences of exposure, and in New Zealand containing microbeads are imported.
the assertion by DTSC that they have reached out to Smith said they include deodorants, shampoos, hair
stakeholders including manufacturers and contractors in conditioners, shower gels, lipstick, hair coloring, shaving
advance of this development,” said Kurt Riesenberg, SPFA’s creams, sunscreen, insect repellents, anti-wrinkle
executive director. “Our members in California did not creams, moisturizers, hair spray, facial masks, baby care
receive contact from the DTSC prior to the announcement.” products, eye shadow and mascara.

37 April 2017 | Plastics News