Abstract
Crumb rubber obtained from scrap tires is greatly employed for the construction of different facilities for sport, recreational and other uses. However, in recent years the concern about their safety and the related adult and children exposure to these surfaces is growing. This study aims a thorough chemical characterization encompassing 42 hazardous compounds, including polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), phthalates, adipates, antioxidants and vulcanization agents in a wide range of crumb rubber from different surfaces. For the extraction of the target compounds, a method based on ultrasound-assisted extraction followed by gas chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UAE-GC–MS/MS) has been validated. Forty crumb rubber samples coming from synthetic turf football pitches, outdoor and indoor playgrounds, urban pavements, commercial tiles and granulates, and scrap tires, were analyzed. In addition, green alternative materials, such as sand and artificial turf based on cork granulate infill were included to compare the levels of the target compounds with those of crumb rubber. Most of the analyzed recycled surfaces meet the recent limits proposed by the European Commission for rubber granulates and mulches, although they exceed in several cases the maximum levels allowed for rubber consumer products. Besides, most of the other target compounds, including several of them considered as endocrine disruptors, were detected in the analyzed samples, reaching parts per million concentrations.
Original language | English |
---|---|
Article number | 142566 |
Pages (from-to) | 1-11 |
Number of pages | 11 |
Journal | Science of the Total Environment |
Volume | 755 |
Issue number | Part 1 |
Early online date | 29 Sept 2020 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 10 Feb 2021 |
Funding
This research was supported by projects RETOS PID2019-104336rb-100 ( Ministry of Science and Innovation , Spain), and UNST10-1E-491 (Infrastructure Program, Ministry of Science and Innovation , Spain). The authors belong to the National Network for the Innovation in miniaturized sample preparation techniques, RED2018-102522-T (Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities, Spain), to the Galician Competitive Research Groups IN607B 2019/13 and ED431 2020/06 and to the CRETUS Strategic Partnership ED431 2018/01 (Xunta de Galicia). All these programs are co-funded by FEDER (UE).
Funders | Funder number |
---|---|
Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities, Spain | ED431 2020/06, IN607B 2019/13, ED431 2018/01 |
Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación | UNST10-1E-491 |
European Regional Development Fund | |
Xunta de Galicia |
Keywords
- Crumb rubber
- Gas chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry
- Hazardous organic compounds
- Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons
- Public health
- Recycled rubber play surfaces