Gas chromatographic-mass spectrometric analysis of some potential toxicants amongst volatile compounds emitted during large-scale thermal degradation of poly(acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene) plastic.

A number of compounds emitted during the thermal degradation of plastics are potentially toxic. This study was aimed at identifying the volatile compounds emitted during large-scale thermal degradation of poly(acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene). About 5 g of the sample were degraded at between 25 and 470 degrees C in air and nitrogen in a device that can simulate temperature-programmed thermogravimetry. The volatiles were collected in dichloromethane using the solvent trap technique. Some of the 92 compounds identified by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry were found to have no hitherto documented toxicological profiles, even though they are potentially dangerous.