Simultaneous GC-MS determination of seven phthalates in total and migrated portions of paper cups

Abstract

Phthalate acid esters are widely used as plasticizers to impart plastic flexibility in various industrial applications. In this study, the content of seven phthalates, dibutyl phthalate (DBP), benzyl butyl phthalate (BBP), di-(2-ethylhexyl) adipate (DEHA), di-2-ethylhexyl phthalate (DEHP), di-n-octyl phthalate (DNOP), di-isononyl phthalate (DINP), and di-isodecyl phthalate (DIDP) were determined in paper cups using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). In addition, the potential migration of these seven phthalates from paper cups into various food stimulants under different conditions was evaluated. The levels of DBP, DEHA, DEHP, and DNOP were in the ranges of 0.07-3.14, 0.16-42.69, 0.45-58.56, and 0.3-2.4 mg/kg, respectively. Meanwhile, BBP, DINP, and DIDP were not detected in most of the tested samples. In the migration test, DEHA was released to 50 % ethanol and n-heptane in a time-dependent manner and the maximum migration levels were 65.62 ± 3.61 and 95.56 ± 19.76 μg/L, respectively. The release of other phthalates was very low or negligible. These results demonstrated that paper cups are not a significant source of phthalate exposure; however, DEHA could be released from paper cups into alcoholic beverages or oily liquid beverages in the human diet.

Sanitary pads and diapers contain higher phthalate contents than those in common commercial plastic products

“…The highest concentration of DBP detected in sanitary pads (Table 3) and diapers (Table 4) were 7,820.4 ppb and 1,609.7 ppb, respectively. These concentrations are considerably higher than concentrations detected in package film [56], paper cups [57], and even cereals [58] (Table 6). The highest DEHP concentrations detected in sanitary pads (Table 3) and diapers (Table 4) were 197.4 ppb and 62.8 ppb, respectively; these are higher than the DEHP concentrations in paper cups [57], package film [56], and microwavable boxes [56] (Table 6).…”

Biodegradation of endocrine disruptor dibutyl phthalate (DBP) by a newly isolated Methylobacillus sp. V29b and the DBP degradation pathway

“…DBP was detected using a UV detector at 225 nm (Thuren 1986 ). Residual DBP in the samples was quantified by preparing a standard curve for DBP (Park et al 2016 ). Metabolic intermediates for DBP degradation were identified by the GC–MS system at Advanced Instrumentation Research Facility, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, India, with column temperature of 100 °C, injection temperature 250 °C and total flow 16.3 ml/min.…”

Direct determination of trace phthalate esters in alcoholic spirits by spray‐inlet microwave plasma torch ionization tandem mass spectrometry

“…With a long history of use in human civilization, alcoholic spirits have permeated many areas of life. The main PAE contaminations in spirits enter via 2 pathways: in unprocessed natural food ingredients, through the deposition of rain and dust containing PAEs, or the migration of PAEs into spirits from the packing materials, depending on the processing and storage of the products . In addition, worldwide, the intensive use of PAEs in alcoholic beverages is becoming a matter of public health concern.…”

“…The main PAE contaminations in spirits enter via 2 pathways: in unprocessed natural food ingredients, through the deposition of rain and dust containing PAEs, or the migration of PAEs into spirits from the packing materials, depending on the processing and storage of the products. 4 In addition, worldwide, the intensive use of PAEs in alcoholic beverages is becoming a matter of public health concern. Therefore, the development of simple, fast, and easy analytic methods to detect low concentrations of PAEs in spirits is critical.…”

“…To determine the concentration of PAEs in various samples at low levels, many analytical methods have been developed. High‐performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), gas chromatography (GC), and their related methods have frequently been used. Owing to the complexity of the analytical samples, pretreatment and enrichment processes are highly required before analysis.…”