Nonyl phenol and nonyl phenol ethoxylates

Reporting on a group of potentially dangerous substances that have been found in footwear and apparel.

by John Hubbard

Since 2005, a restriction has been in place in Europe which prohibits the supply of chemicals containing nonyl phenol (NP) and nonyl phenol ethoxylates (NPEs) for use in textile processing. However, a recent environmental campaign has focused on the residues of these substances in apparel on sale worldwide and the implications for worldwide pollution control.

Nonyl phenol ethoxylates belong to a group of chemicals known as alkyl phenol ethoxylates (APEs). These are man-made substances with a number of industrial uses, including as surfactants in the processing of textiles. When released into the environment, the NPE can break down to nonyl phenol, which has been identified as persistent, toxic and bioaccumulative, as well as acting as a hormone disruptor.
 

Within the European Union (and the European Economic Area), there is a restriction in the supply of preparations containing more than 0.1 per cent of NPE. However, this does not control the use of the substance in regions outside Europe, nor its presence as a residue in imported articles. In the United Kingdom, a voluntary ban on the use of NPEs – along with octyl phenol ethoxylates (OPEs) – was agreed by the textile industry before the EU restriction was implemented.

Found in everyday items

During 2011, the results of an investigation were published on the presence of NPEs in a range of sporting and casual wear supplied by 15 major brands (including a brand of footwear). Of the 78 items tested, 52 items were found to contain NPEs above the detection limit for the method used of 1mg/kg. The levels detected would not be considered as being harmful to human health and, for the most part, do not exceed the requirement of REACH annex XVII for preparations (although one printed t-shirt contained over 20,000mg/kg – that is, 2 per cent). However, the focus of the report used these results to indicate that, despite the acknowledged toxicity of these chemicals, there is still widespread use of NPEs in the textile industry outside Europe and, therefore, the potential for the release of these chemicals in discharges from factories. This situation is of concern because it is reported that even where wastewater treatment plants are employed, these do not fully remove the NPE and may also accelerate the degradation from NPE to NP.

This approach is reflected in increasing concerns from EU member states, some of which are beginning to look at the presence of these chemicals in imported goods, to review whether the restrictions should be extended to include residues in the final product.

In response to this report, many major brands have committed themselves to working towards limiting discharges of NPEs from the factories which produce their branded products worldwide. The use of residue testing will be an indicator as to how successful this has been.

There is not currently an international standard for the analysis of NPEs in leather and textile products, but there are developments underway at European level. SATRA has developed an in-house method for the measurement of NPEs, OPEs and the corresponding free phenols. SATRA TM388 uses ultrasonic solvent extraction followed by GC-MS analysis for the individual species.

Publishing Data

This article was originally published on page 32 of the February 2012 issue of SATRA Bulletin.

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