Nonylphenol breakdown products

Non-ionic surfactants used in detergents, paints, herbicides, pesticides and plastics. Breakdown products, such as nonylphenol and octylphenol, are found in sewage and industrial efffuents Products of combustion of many materials Widely used as plasticisers for PVC. Common environmental pollutants... 

SDSI is being developed to recognize companies, facilities, and others who voluntarily phase out or commit to phasing out the manufacture or use of NPE surfactants. NPEs are used in detergents in cleaning and other products. Both NPEs and their breakdown products, such as nonylphenol, can harm aquatic life. The Safer Detergents Initiative complements EPA s Aquatic Life Ambient Water Quality Criteria for Nonylphenol which are designed to protect aquatic hfe in both fresh and saltwater and can form the basis for state and tribal water quahty standards. 

These safer alternatives to nonylphenol ethoxylates degrade more quickly and completely to breakdown products of low toxicity. However, cost and performance are key limitations to substituting to NPE alternatives. Research into alternative surfactants may not be a priority for a company that already has a well-performing product,... 

Some plastics additives, such as phthalates, bisphenol-A (BPA), and nonylphenols, present as plasticisers, can evaporate indoors and can be inhaled i.e., oestrogenic butyl benzyl phthalate is found in most vinyl floor tiles, adhesives, and synthetic leathers, and bisphenol-A is a breakdown product and plasticiser of polycarbonate (PC) mainly used as glazing material. In addition to plasticisers, there are also other additives used in plastics and rubbers i.e., stabilisers used in PVC window profiles and pipes are mostly lead-based, or they can be either barium/cadmium/zinc compounds. All of these can pose serious health hazards if they are above certain concentrations in the air, through evaporation from the system. Increase of temperature indoors speeds up this evaporation process. 

Both octylphenol and nonylphenol are found in the wider environment as a result of the biodegradation of the alkylphenolic polyethoxylates (APEOs) and are themselves recalcitrant breakdown products. The nonionic alkylphenol ethoxylated surfactants, namely... 

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