The potential release of hazardous substances from polymer-based products is currently in the focus of environmental policy. Environmental simulations are applied to expose such products to selected aging conditions and to investigate release processes. Commonly applied aging exposure types such as solar and UV radiation in combination with water contact, corrosive gases, and soil contact as well as expected general effects on polymers and additional ingredients of polymer-based products are described. The release of substances is based on mass-transfer processes to the material surfaces. Experimental approaches to investigate transport processes that are caused by water contact are presented. For tailoring the tests, relevant aging exposure types and release quantification methods must be combined appropriately. Several studies on the release of hazardous substances such as metals, polyaromatic hydrocarbons, flame retardants, antioxidants, and carbon nanotubes from polymers are summarized exemplarily. Differences between natural and artificial exposure tests are discussed and demonstrated for the release of flame retardants from several polymers and for biocides from paints. Requirements and limitations to apply results from short-term artificial environmental exposure tests to predict long-term environmental behavior of polymers are presented.

Unpigmented HDPE jerrycans filled with nitric acid (55 wt.-%) and water respectively had been exposed to outdoor conditions for one Berlin summer season. As both liquids underwent equal temperature progression, exposure effects of UV radiation and nitric acid as well as of the combination of both can be separated and compared. On the basis of various property changes after these exposures, synergistic action is evaluated and compared to a damaged Intermediate Bulk Container (IBC) from a transport accident. It is found that carbonyl formation accompanies lightness increase in color measurement due to microcracking and with a worsening in mechanical behavior, all of them showing the synergistic effects of UV and nitric acid exposure. By contrast, embedding nitrogen compounds accompanies yellowing of the material but cannot be correlated to oxidation. The reason for intensified damaging is the decomposition of the 55-percent nitric acid and the formation of nitrogen oxides even at ambient temperatures, caused by UV radiation. Thus, damaging effects become similar to those caused by fuming nitric acid exposure at temperatures above 60 °C, resulting in strong oxidative degradation of the polyethylene. By contrast, exclusive exposure to the 55 wt.-% nitric acid at 40 °C does not cause any failure. It can therefore be assumed that the damaged IBC too had been exposed to both UV radiation and nitric acid, probably outdoors.