[en] Several pharmaceutical industries are established in the West Zone of the city of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, which must comply with environmental legislation relevant to their operations. In this work, we present a critical analysis of the measurements of biochemical oxygen demand (BOD), chemical oxygen demand (COD), sedimentable solids (SS), total nitrogen, acute toxicity to fish, phosphorus concentration, presence of anionic surfactants (MBAS), flow, pH and temperature by comparing the monthly averages of these parameters in relation to the limits established in the applicable regulations. The data were obtained from laboratories accredited by Rio de Janeiro State Environmental Agency (INEA). The sampling time varied according to the estimated average flow at the time of the project's licensing. The data of the parameters reported by these laboratories were related to effluents generated by seven pharmaceutical manufacturers. These data were reported according to the control program PROCON-ÁGUA (INEA), in the period of January 2009 to February 2020. We used the monthly average of these parameters. The consolidated data show that the BOD level was exceeded by 100% of the evaluated companies in relation to the limit of the corresponding regulations, while 71% of the evaluated manufacturers exceeded the limit of COD, 57% exceeded the limit of sedimentable solids (SS), 85% surpassed the limit for phosphorus, 75% exceeded the total nitrogen threshold, and 33% exceeded the MBAS limit, according to the relevant regulations. The parameters of acute toxicity to fish, pH, and temperature were not exceeded by any of the factories. (author)

[en] Highlights: • Degradability and greenwash practices were assessed in commercial plastic products. • Most samples were not degradable in sea water despite claiming a sustainable status. • Greenwashing practices as hidden trade-off, no proof and vagueness were detected. • Misleading purchase decision and improper plastic disposal are harmful consequences. • Strategies should be adopted to avoid this environmental rip off. -- Abstract: Concerns about plastic pollution and global public policies have encouraged consumers to acquire environmentally friendly products. Thus, products made of biodegradable plastics have been preferred by the public, despite their costs. However, greenwashing practices, promising more environmental benefits than the products actually offer, has become frequent. Nevertheless, no studies assessing the occurrence of greenwashing in commercial plastic products sold in large world economies have been performed. The present study aimed to experimentally evaluate alterations in structure and chemical composition of selected plastic products marketed in Canada, USA and Brazil. The aging experiments carried out by seawater immersion for 180 days showed no evidence of degradation in 4 out of the 6 studied samples, despite product claims of biodegradability or 100% degradability status. This finding denotes unequivocal greenwashing practices, even including bags made of polyethylene, an ordinary non-biodegradable polymer. Thus, the inadequate adoption of green marketing is deceiving to consumers and may lead to improper disposal of these materials. These practices are highly counterproductive in view of the global public policies recently adopted to control plastic pollution. Therefore, considering the technologies currently available for identification of polymers, a strict control should be exercised over products that claim biodegradable status.

[en] Highlights: • Certification of biodegradability do not reflect degradation in natural environments. • Ranges of biogeochemical factors observed on ocean are not covered by any guide. • New biodegradability certification schemes should be globally adopted. • Certification of biodegradable plastics must be tested under real ocean conditions. • Microplastics formation should be monitored in degradation experiments. While the use of biodegradable polymers is recognized as a global strategy to minimize plastic pollution, the technical standards (TS) used to attest their biodegradability may not be in compliance with most environmental parameters observed aquatic ecosystems. Indeed, through a careful assessment of the TS currently in use, this study evidenced that these guidelines cover only a fraction of the biogeochemical parameters seen in nature and largely disregard those that occur in the deep-sea. Thus, these TS may not be able to ensure the degradation of such polymers in natural environments, where microbial activity, pH, temperature, salinity, UV radiation and pressure are highly variable. This raises environmental concern, since relevant parcel of plastic ends up in the oceans reaching deep zones. Therefore, there is an urgent need to revise these TS, which must consider the actual fate of most plastic debris and include assessments under the challenging conditions found at these types of environment, alongside microplastic formation and ecotoxicology effects. Moreover, the next generation of biodegradability tests must be designed to enable a cost-effective implementation and incorporate accurate analytical techniques to assess polymer transformation. Furthermore, certification should provide information on time scale and degradation rates and, preferably, be globally harmonized.