The release of chemicals from products and materials has been the subject of various mandatory regulations and ‘green codes’ for many years. US building codes, European Construction Product Regulation (CPR) and REACH[1] are key examples of regulatory developments that increase the need for chemical emissions testing as part of product labelling.
Recently, vehicle interior air quality (VIAQ) has been the major focus for emissions testing, with new Chinese mandates dictating the worldwide response to health concerns and off-odour complaints (read more in our white paper “New car smell: Improved identification of odours in vehicle interior air“). However, more pressure has also been placed on the manufacturers of electronic products, respiratory medical devices, food packaging, children’s toys and consumer goods to report emissions of hazardous and odorous compounds.
In particular, the analysis of plastic has gained increased attention, due to the global push to reduce pollution and utilise more recycled products. Recycling of plastic requires further quality control to ensure the final products – which may be used for food and beverage packaging – will not produce volatile emissions that could be considered harmful or have a negative impact on the packaged product (i.e. malodours).