Abstract  A simultaneous determination method for additives in polyethylene and polyvinyl chloride was applied to those in polypropylene. The recoveries of 29 additives spiked in polypropylene were between 63.1 similar to 114.1% and this method was largely satisfactory. The residues of 84 additives were investigated in 39 kinds of food contact polypropylene, such as airtight receptacles, straws, mugs, a pan for microwave oven, wrapping films for rice balls, cups for pudding, bags for bread, etc. They contained mainly antioxidants and lubricants. Among the antioxidants, Irganox 1010 was detected most frequently at levels of 74 similar to 2,649 mu g/g, followed by Irgafos 168 and BHT. As lubricants, oleamide, steamide, erucamide, 3 types of hydrocarbons and others were found. Surfactants, e.g., monopalmitin and monostearin, and plasticizers, e.g., DEHP, BBP and DINP, were also present.

Abstract  Phthalates are ubiquitous compounds whose metabolites are usually determined in urine for biomonitoring studies. Following suspect and unexplained results from our laboratory in an external quality-assessment scheme, we investigated the accuracy of all phthalate metabolite standards in our possession by comparing them with those of several suppliers. Our findings suggest that commercial phthalate metabolite certified solutions are not always accurate and that lot-to-lot discrepancies significantly affect the accuracy of the results obtained with several of these standards. These observations indicate that the reliability of the results obtained from different lots of standards is not equal, which reduces the possibility of intra-laboratory and inter-laboratory comparisons of results. However, agreements of accuracy have been observed for a majority of neat standards obtained from different suppliers, which indicates that a solution to this issue is available. Data accuracy of phthalate metabolites should be of concern for laboratories performing phthalate metabolite analysis because of the standards used. The results of our investigation are presented from the perspective that laboratories performing phthalate metabolite analysis can obtain accurate and comparable results in the future. Our findings will contribute to improving the quality of future phthalate metabolite analyses and will affect the interpretation of past results.

Abstract  Plasticizers in Japanese retail foods were determined by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) (SIM). The plasticizers tested were as follows: dibutyl phthalate, butylbenzyl phthalate, di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP), diisononyl phthalate, di(2-ethylhexyl) adipate, diisononyl adipate (DINA), dialkyl adipate, dibutyl sebacate, O-acetyl tributyl citrate (ATBC) and diacetyllauroyl glycerol (DALG). A total of 93 samples were analyzed. For the analysis, each sample was extracted by a method suitable to its nature and cleaned using Florisil(R) and Bondesil PSA(R) dual layer columns. The recovery of plasticizers from fortified food samples was 62.0-131.0%, except in the case of DINA. The limit of detection (LOD) was different for each sample species and plasticizers. For example, the LOD for plasticizers in retort-pouched baby food was 0.0004-0.037 mug/g. A retort-pouched baby food sample was found to be contaminated by DEHP at the Japanese tolerable daily intake (TDI) level, 40 mug/kg/day. The source of contamination was presumed to be disposable gloves because the baby food was produced before the prohibition of DEHP-containing poly vinyl chloride (PVC) gloves by the Japanese government. After that prohibition, products generally contained much lower levels of DEHR A higher level of DALG was detected in the other baby food samples, although it became clear that DALG did not originate as contamination from plastics but was added as a food additive. ATBC was detected in bottled sake samples at levels of around 3-7 mug/g, having migrated from the gasket of the bottle cap. ATBC and DALG levels in the above foods were quite low compared with their no observed adverse effect level (NOAEL) or guideline levels as food additives.

Abstract  2-Ethyl hexanol from hydrolysed di-octyl-phthalate (DOP) may cause a secondary emission from building products such as PVC carpets and/or glues causing indoor air pollution. In the present study, a micro-scale headspace vial (MHV) method, earlier developed by us, was refined to study the degradation of DOP and di-isononyl phthalate (DINP) in humid and alkaline environments. By HS-SPME it was possible to extract the degradation products at low temperature, 35 degrees C, which limits the risks of unwanted degradation during sampling. Three different types of HS-SPME fibres were evaluated. The carbowax-divinyl benzene (CW/DVB) fibre had the highest extraction capacity of 2-ethyl-1-hexanol and 5-nonanol. Although significantly shorter extraction times could be used with the 7 mu m and 30 mu m poly-dimethylsiloxane (PDMS) fibres, the CW/DVB fibre was found to be the most suitable for these alcohols. Furthermore, it was found that pH of the alkaline environment strongly influences the formation of degradation products from DOP and DINP. (C) 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Abstract  A major incident of phthalate-contaminated foodstuffs happened in Taiwan between April and July, 2011. Phthalates were deliberately added to foodstuffs as a substitute of emulsifier. We describe the course of this incident, government response and management of the crisis, and its future implications. Five major food categories, including sports drinks, fruit beverages, tea drinks, fruit jam or jelly, and health food or supplements in tablet or powder form, were contaminated with Di-(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate and/or Di-isononyl phthalate. At least 900 different food products were affected. Like the scandal of melamine-tainted infant formula, this event represents another large deliberate food contamination incident. It is important to be reminded that many governments in developing countries make rapid economic growth as their first priority, often compromising environmental safety and public health. The administration leaders need to find a balance between economic expansion and health and environmental safety.

Abstract  Prospective clinical studies have suggested that the rate of congenital cryptorchidism has increased since the 1950s. It has been hypothesized that this may be related to environmental factors. Testicular descent occurs in two phases controlled by Leydig cell-derived hormones insulin-like peptide 3 (INSL3) and testosterone. Disorders in fetal androgen production/action or suppression of Insl3 are mechanisms causing cryptorchidism in rodents. In humans, prenatal exposure to potent estrogen diethylstilbestrol (DES) has been associated with increased risk of cryptorchidism. In addition, epidemiological studies have suggested that exposure to pesticides may also be associated with cryptorchidism. Some case-control studies analyzing environmental chemical levels in maternal breast milk samples have reported associations between cryptorchidism and chemical levels. Furthermore, it has been suggested that exposure levels of some chemicals may be associated with infant reproductive hormone levels.

Abstract  Forty six workers from an ink factory were included in this study, in which, passive badge sampler and questionnaire interview were used to assess the concentrations of airborne exposure to ethylene glycol monobutyl ether during work shifts and to understand the subjects' working habits. The geometric mean value (95% confidence interval) of the airborne ethylene glycol monobutyl ether concentrations was 0.12(0.08-0.19)ppm, with a range of

Abstract  The ability of diisononyl phthalate to induce morphological transformation was evaluated in the Balb/3T3 mouse cell line (Cells Transformation Assay). Based on preliminary toxicity determinations (exposure time = 24hrs), diisononyl phthalate, diluted with acetone, was tested at concentrations of 3 x 10(-2), 0.1, 0.3 or 1ul/ml, resulting in 95% to 76% relative survival. None of the treatments produced significantly greater transformation frequencies (p 0.05) relative to the negative control (acetone).

Abstract  Plasticizers in 101 samples of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) toys on the Japanese market were surveyed. No phthalates were detected in designated toys, though bis(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate, diisononyl phthalate, diisobutyl phthalate, dibutyl phthalate, diisodecyl phthalate and benzyl butyl phthalate were detected in more than half of other toys. 2,2,4-Tributyl-1,3-pentanediol diisobutylate, o-acetyl tributyl citrate, adipates and diacetyl lauroyl glycerol, which are alternative plasticizers to phthalates, were detected. The results of structural analysis confirmed the presence of di(2-ethylhexyl)terephthalate, tributyl citrate, diisononyl 1,2-cyclohexanedicarboxylate and neopentyl glycol esters; these have not previonsly been reported in Japan. There appears to be a shift in plasticizers used for designated toys from phthalates to new plasticizers, and the number of different plasticizers is increasing.

Abstract  The present study describes the phytochemical profile and the protective effects of Ceratonia siliqua pods essential oil (CsEO), a food and medicinal plant widely distributed in Tunisia. Twenty five different components were identified in the CsEO. Among them, the major detected components were: Nonadecane, Heneicosane, Naphthalene, 1,2- Benzenedicarboxylic acid dibutylester, Heptadecane, Hexadecanoic acid, Octadecanoic acid, 1,2- Benzenedicarboxylic acid, Phenyl ethyl tiglate, Eicosene, Farnesol 3, Camphor, Nerolidol and n- Eicosane. The antimicrobial activity of CsEO was evaluated against a panel of 13 bacteria and 8 fungal strains using agar diffusion and broth microdilution methods. Results have shown that CsEO exhibited moderate to strong antimicrobial activity against the tested species. In addition, the inhibitory effect of this CsEO was evaluated in vivo against a foodborne pathogens Listeria monocytogenes, experimentally inoculated in minced beef meat (2 x 10(2) CFU/g of meat) amended with different concentrations of the CsEO and stored at 7 degrees C for 10 days. The antibacterial activity of CsEO in minced beef meat was clearly evident and its presence led to a strong inhibitory effect against the pathogens at 7 degrees C. On the other hand, the cytotoxic effects of the essential oil against two tumoral human cell lines HeLa and MCF-7 were examined by MTT assay. The CsEO showed an inhibition of both cell lines with significantly stronger activity against HeLa cells. The IC(50) values were 210 and 800 mu g/ml for HeLa and MCF-7 cells, respectively. Overall, results presented here suggest that the EO of C. siliqua possesses antimicrobial and cytotoxic properties, and is therefore a potential source of active ingredients for food and pharmaceutical industry. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Abstract  Phthalates are part of a class of high-volume industrial chemicals used ubiquitously in health care as well as household products. Biomarker studies have confirmed the widespread presence of these chemicals in both humans and animals. As a class, phthalates have been implicated in diseases and birth anomalies of the genitourinary tract including hypospadias, testis anomalies, and subfertility. This article will discuss the current data surrounding these chemicals and their association with genital anomalies including genital anomalies and infertility.

Abstract  A recent food safety issue involves the contamination of a broad range of food and nutraceutical products from Taiwan with industrial plasticizers. Among the suspected contaminants are selected phthalic acid esters, such as benzyl butyl phthalate, dibutyl phthalate, diisobutyl phthalate, di-2-ethylhexyl phthalate, di-n-octyl phthalate, diisononyl phthalate, and diisodecyl phthalate. Described in this study is an analytical method to rapidly qualitatively analyze these compounds in a wide variety of food and nutraceutical matrices suspected in this crisis. The method utilizes direct analysis in real time (DART) ionization coupled to a Thermo Exactive orbitrap mass spectrometer. The method is shown to be capable of detecting these compounds at levels greater than 1.0 mu g/mL in all food products examined and 0.5 mu g/mL in most of the samples tested. In the nutraceutical samples tested, the compounds were detected at levels of 50 mu g/g for all samples with some detected as low as 1.0 mu g/g. Published by Elsevier Ltd.