No PAHs above the thresholds of Commission Regulation (EU) No. 1272/2013
Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) represent a group of chemicals composed of multiple aromatic rings which are formed, among others, during the combustion of fossil fuels or other organic matter. Several hundreds of PAHs exists. They belong to an alarming group of substances for humans end environmental organisms.
Many PAHs are carcinogenic, mutagenic and/or toxic for reproduction. Some PAHs are at the same time persistent, bio accumulative, and toxic for humans and other organ- isms. PAHs can enter the environment and reach consumer in manifold ways. To protect the health of consumers from the risk arising from exposure to PAHs, the European Commission has limited their concentration in plastic or rubber parts that come into direct and prolonged contact with human skin or the oral cavity under normal or rea- sonably foreseeable conditions of use in the Commission Regulation (EU) No. 1272/2013. This includes all kind of consumer goods like for example sporting equipment, household items, tools, clothing, footwear, and accesso- ries, as well as toys and childcare items. The Commission Regulation (EU) No. 1272/2013 sets limits for in total eight different PAHs that are classified as carcinogens of category 1B: Benzo[a]pyrene, Benzo[e]pyrene, Benzo[a] anthracene, Chrysene, Benzo[b]fluoranthene, Benzo[j] fluoranthene, Benzo[k]fluoranthene, and Dibenzo[a,h] anthracene. The content of each of the eight PAHs in accessible plastic or rubber parts of consumer articles may not exceed 1 mg/kg. For toys and childcare articles, the limit may not exceed 0.5 mg/kg each.
In contrast to many fossil-based materials, UPM BioMotion™ RFF contains exceptionally low levels of PAHs. The corresponding content for each of the eight different PAHs determined by GC/MS analysis is well below 0.1 mg/kg after Soxhlet extraction with toluene for 48h. In compliance with Commission Regulation (EU) No. 1272/2013, UPM BioMotion™ RFF are perfectly suited to be used even at very high concentrations in plastic or rubber parts of consumer goods as no PAHs are added by their introduction. The absence of hazardous PAHs is further proven by the fact that UPM BioMotion™ RFF can be even applied for category 1 materials of the voluntary “Tested Safety” Mark (Geprüfte Sicherheit, GS-Mark) of German Product Safety Committee (Ausschuss für Produktsicherheit, AfPS) without concentration limits.
Meet highest purity requirements
UPM BioMotion™ RFF is characterized by high cleanliness: zero grit in form of coke and refractory materials, sulfur levels of less than 0.2wt%, traces of heavy metals like Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb, Zn well below 10 ppm, and a low residual ash content.