Beyond the Basics – Environmental Impact & Product Performance
Product Types and Environmental Impact
Product Testing for solution-based products including Lubricants, Oils, Personal Care Products, Coatings, and Pet care Products can provide important information on how likely a material will persist in and impact the surrounding environment.
Many of these product types are used and disposed of in ways that make material contact with water inevitable. With societal concerns for maintaining healthy water systems, a variety of regulatory and third party labeling requirements have been implemented for environmentally acceptable products that are intended to demonstrate product performance with minimal affects on the health and vitality of water ecosystems.
Characteristics of Environmentally Acceptable Products
There are different performance characteristics that an environmentally acceptable material can demonstrate that are commonly required by many regulatory and third party labeling agencies. These performance characteristics include, but are not limited to, high Biodegradability, low Toxicity, and low Bioaccumulation potential.
Besides these broad performance characteristics, it is important to analytically evaluate a material’s chemical and physical characteristics like Dissociation Constants in water*, Solubility in water*, Partition Coefficients*, and the ability to transform through hydrolysis* or UV oxidation. Analytical methods for Environmental testing are generally used to determine these physical and chemical characteristics and can evaluate a material’s potential to persist as an environmental pollutant.
* OECD 111: Hydrolysis as a Function of pH
* OECD 112: Dissociation Contants in Water
* OECD 107: Partition Coefficient (n-octanol/water): Shake Flask Method
*OECD 117: Partition Coefficient (n-octanol/water), HPLC Method
For more information on Analytical Testing and Environmental Fate, contact our Analytical Laboratory at 847-483-9950 or info@situtest.com.