Biodesign Center for Environmental Health Engineering, The Biodesign Institute, Arizona State University, 1001 S. McAllister Avenue, Tempe, AZ 85287, USA.
Plastic Oceans International, Malibu, CA 90265, USA.
Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2021 Jun 3;18(11):6027. doi: 10.3390/ijerph18116027.
Polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) is a water-soluble plastic commercially used in laundry and dish detergent pods (LDPs) for which a complete understanding of its fate in the environment and subsequent consequences is lacking. The objective of this study was to estimate the US nationwide emissions of PVA resulting from domestic use of LDPs, corroborated by a nationwide, online consumer survey and a literature review of its fate within conventional wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs). Peer-reviewed publications focusing on the degradation of PVA in critical processes of WWTPs were shortlisted as a part of the literature review, and subsequent degradation data was extracted and applied to a model with a set of assumptions. Survey and model results estimated that approximately 17,200 ± 5000 metric ton units per year (mtu/yr) of PVA are used from LDPs in the US, with 10,500 ± 3000 mtu/yr reaching WWTPs. Literature review data, when incorporated into our model, resulted in ~61% of PVA ending up in the environment via the sludge route and ~15.7% via the aqueous phase. PVA presence in the environment, regardless of its matrix, is a threat to the ecosystem due to the potential mobilization of heavy metals and other hydrophilic contaminants.
聚乙烯醇（PVA）是一种水溶性塑料，商业上用于洗衣和洗碗剂pods（LDPs），但对其在环境中的命运及其后续后果缺乏全面了解。本研究的目的是估计由于国内使用 LDPs 而导致的 PVA 在美国的全国排放量，这一点得到了全国性在线消费者调查和对其在传统废水处理厂（WWTPs）中命运的文献综述的证实。作为文献综述的一部分，对 PVA 在 WWTPs 关键过程中降解的同行评审出版物进行了筛选，随后提取了降解数据并应用于一组假设的模型。调查和模型结果估计，每年约有 17200±5000 公吨（mtu/yr）的 PVA 用于美国的 LDPs，其中 10500±3000 mtu/yr 进入 WWTPs。当将文献综述数据纳入我们的模型时，约有 61%的 PVA 通过污泥途径进入环境，约 15.7%通过水相途径进入环境。无论其基质如何，PVA 存在于环境中对生态系统都是一种威胁，因为它有可能使重金属和其他亲水性污染物迁移。
