Industry News
New research provides boost for phthalates
Speaking at PVC 99 held in
Brighton in April, David
Cadogan of the European
Council for Plasticisers and
Intermediates (ECPI) highlight-
ed the results of new research
on the health and environmen-
tal effects ofphthalates, which
still account for 92% ofplasti-
cizers used in PVC. He declared
that the new studies on five
phthalates (BBP, DBP, DEHP,
DINP and DIDP) provided
strong evidence that phthalates
have little or no effect on
humans.
New studies on primates com-
bined with an improved under-
standing of why phthalates
cause problems in mice have
Solvay expands calcium carbonate business
Belgian company Solvay has
purchased the Winnofil ® pre-
cipitated calcium carbonate
business from Zeneca. The
65 employees located at the
Lostock facility, near
Manchester in the UK, will
Plasticizer plant
on stream
Eastman Chemical has commis-
sioned a plant to manufacture
TXIB T M plasticizer at its Pulau
Sakra complex in Singapore.
The facility is one of five new
plants to come on stream dur-
ing the first half of this year at
the site and is part of the com-
pany's $200 million investment
in oxo chemicals manufacture.
TXIB is a primary plasticizer
used in manufacturing vinyl
toys, sheet flooring, wallpaper
and gloves.
Plastics Additives & CompoundingJune 1999
drawn the condusion that the
carcinogenic and reproductive
effects produced by phthalates
in rodents are specific to the
species and of little relevance to
humans.
He claimed that the informa-
tion gained from the research
clearly shows that phthalates are
not responsible for producing
oestrogen in males and sup-
pressing its activities in females.
David Cadogan also argued
that the hypothesis that phtha-
lares could affect the group of
male hormones known as
androgens is not supported by
initial investigations.
Regarding the environment, he
reported results that showed
transfer with the filler busi-
ness. Solvay says that the
move is part of its commit-
ment to increase its presence
in the UK and expand its
activities in speciality
materials.
comes
Prior to completion of the
complex, Eastman Chemical
Singapore was using storage
tanks at terminal facilities on
Palau Sakra to supply its Asian
customers with products from
Eastman's facilities in the
USA. Despite the economic
problems in Asia, the compa-
ny remains confident that
there will be good demand
for these products as the
region regains its economic
strength.
4
that the extremely low solubility
of phthalates in water and their
rapid aerobic degradation mean
that their levels in the environ-
ment are low. At such levels (up
to the limit of their water solu-
bility) they do not have any
toxic effect on a wide range of
aquatic organisms.
A higher level of phthalates can
be found in the anaerobic con-
ditions in sediments. However,
he asserted that a number of
independent studies on a vari-
ety of sediment dwelling organ-
isms have shown that phtha-
lates, at concentrations many
times greater than those found
in the environment, have no
adverse effects.
The company adds that the
Lostock production unit com-
plements its existing activities
in Europe, as it already oper-
ates four precipitated calcium
carbonate plants in mainland
Europe. The Winnofil acquisi-
Ampacet looks for growth
Ampacet Corporation, the
manufacturer ofcotour and
additive concentrates, is to
increase its global capacity by
79 000 tonnes to more than
260 000 tonnes through a
combination of growth and
acquisitions. This will take its
share of the global masterbatch
capacity to around 17.5%, says
the company.
According to Ampacet, the
global masterbatch industry
will continue to grow at
David Cadogan urged the
industry to stand firm on the
issue and the ECPI would be
presenting the research findings
to the European Union as part
of its campaign to fight offa
ban on the use of phthalates in
toys. He was keen to stress that
decisions need to be taken on
scientific evidence and not on
emotions.
Research on phthalates has been
conducted over 40 years at a
cost of $100 million, he told
the conference, with $5 million
being spent this year. This
meant that a great deal more
was known about phthalates
and PVC than any of the
alternatives.
tion will also increase Solvay's
product range and provide
improved flexibility and serv-
ice, says the company.
Precipitated calcium carbonate
is the most important product
of Solvay's fillers.
around 6% per year. North
America will grow at 5.0%,
while it will be 4.3% in
Europe. Asia will exhibit the
largest annual growth at 8.1%,
with the rest of the world
growing at 5.5%.
The company's overall pro-
gramme for international
expansion is based on new
capacity for niche markets,
mergers and acquisitions and
an expanded international
technology base.