Bisphenol Reduction in Syntans and Examples for Extraction and Migration of Bisphenols from Leather Articles

Abstract

Bisphenol S and F play a major role in the synthesis of syntans. Bisphenol S can be a starting material or undesired side product, while bisphenol F can form as an undesired side product. They can be found in basically all syntans in a range from close to the detection limit up to several thousand parts per million and can be detected in most leather articles by extraction or by migration. In an initiative by the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) to drastically reduce bisphenols in consumer goods and in the environment, challenging limits were proposed in 2022. These limits would have had a strong impact on syntan portfolios of the leather chemical manufacturers and on many leather articles. After a public a consultation, ECHA has temporarily withdrawn the restriction proposal and wants to re-work it. Examples for reductions of both bisphenols in leather chemicals and the impact on extractions and migration from leather articles down to detection limits will be outlined in this article.