Phthalates and bisphenol-A residues in water samples: an innovative analytical approach

Review of pretreatment and analytical methods for environmental endocrine disruptors: phthalates

Phthalates, known as phthalate esters (PAEs), are among the most ubiquitous pervasive environmental endocrine disruptors, extensively utilized globally in various facets of modern life due to their irreplaceable role as plasticizers. The exponential production and utilization of plastic goods have substantially escalated plastic waste accumulation. Consequently, PAEs have infiltrated the environment, contaminating food and drinking water reservoirs, posing notable threats to human health. This review provides a comprehensive overview of research advancements in PAE detection and identifies key focal points from 2000 to 2022, utilizing the Web of Science Core Collection. Sample pretreatment and analytical methodologies for PAEs are examined based on bibliometric analysis findings. Pretreatment methods mainly include dispersive solid-phase extraction, magnetic solid-phase extraction, molecularly imprinted solid-phase extraction, and solid-phase microextraction. Laboratory analytical methods such as gas chromatography, liquid chromatography, and immunoassay have been described. Additionally, a discussion on the advantages and challenges of rapid on-site detection methods compared with traditional approaches is presented in alignment with the evolving demands of PAEs detection. Based on the current research progress, future studies can focus on the demand of rapid detection of PAEs.

Migration of chemical substances from packaging materials to food

At present, active food packaging is favored by manufacturers and consumers from all over the world for various special functions. However, the potential migration of chemical substances from the packaging into the food during contact is a significant concern. Therefore, a detailed discussion of this topic is warranted. This paper begins with a thorough analysis of the migration mechanisms, mathematical models, and critical parameters involved in the migration of chemical substances from food packaging. On this basis, it summarizes relevant detection techniques, the selection of food simulants, and risk assessment, which are crucial for the accuracy of migration test results. In addition, specific attention was focused on the migration of antimicrobial agents in food packaging. Finally, non-destructive testing methods, international legislation, and current opportunities and challenges were discussed. The research provides important guidance and inspiration for investigating the migration of chemical substances from food packaging to food.

Pollution characteristics and health risk of sixty-five organics in one drinking water system: PAEs should be prioritized for control

Currently, a large number of emerging organic contaminants have been detected in domestic and international drinking water systems. However, there are differences among the research methods, which lead to system errors in directly comparing the hazards of different contaminants, so it is difficult to analyze the priority control pollutants and the risk control target in drinking water from previous studies. Therefore, we selected a drinking water treatment plant (DWTP) in the east of China, and detected trihalomethanes (THMs), antibiotics, phthalate esters (PAEs), organophosphate esters (OPEs), per and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs), a total of sixty-five organic contaminants in one batch water sample of four seasons, and carried out the whole process monitoring of "Source water-DWTP-Network-Users", and calculated the health risks of contaminants in tap water. The results showed that DWTP could effectively remove antibiotics and PAEs; the removal rate of coagulation for antibiotics can be up to 47%; the release of PAEs in the plastic water supply pipe leads to a significant increase of the concentrations in the water transportation system, which can reach 2.92 times of that in finished water; compared with other contaminants, THMs and PAEs in tap water have higher health risks. This study reveals that THMs and PAEs are priority control organic pollutants, and the water supply network is the key risk control target in the drinking water system, providing a theoretical basis for how to ensure the safety of drinking water.

Groundwater contamination pathways of phthalates and bisphenol A: origin, characteristics, transport, and fate - A review

Phthalic acid esters (PAEs) or phthalates and bisphenol A (BPA) are emerging organic contaminants (EOCs) that may harm biota and human health. Humans can be exposed to these contaminants by drinking water consumption from water sources such as groundwater. Before their presence in aquifer systems, phthalates and BPA can be found in many matrices due to anthropogenic activities, which result in long-term transport to groundwater reservoirs by different mechanisms and reaction processes. The worldwide occurrence of phthalates and BPA concentrations in groundwater have ranged from 0.1 × 10^-3 to 3 203.33 µg L^-1 and from 0.09 × 10^-3 to 228.04 µg L^-1, respectively. Therefore, the aim of this review is to describe the groundwater contamination pathways of phthalates and BPA from the main environmental sources to groundwater. Overall, this article provides an overview that integrates phthalate and BPA environmental cycling, from their origin to human reception via groundwater consumption. Additionally, in this review, the readers can use the information provided as a principal basis for existing policy ratification and for governments to develop legislation that may incorporate these endocrine disrupting compounds (EDCs) as priority contaminants. Indeed, this may trigger the enactment of regulatory guidelines and public policies that help to reduce the exposure of these EDCs in humans by drinking water consumption.

Comprehensive Insight from Phthalates Occurrence: From Health Outcomes to Emerging Analytical Approaches

Phthalates are a group of chemicals used in a multitude of important industrial products (e.g., medical devices, children's toys, and food packages), mainly as plasticizers to improve mechanical properties such as flexibility, transparency, durability, and longevity of polyvinyl chloride (PVC). The wide occurrence of phthalates in many consumer products, including foods (e.g., bottled water, soft drinks, wine, milk, and meat) brings that most people are exposed to phthalates every day, which raises some concerns. Adverse health outcomes from phthalates exposure have been associated with endocrine disruption, deformities in the human reproductive system, increased risk of preterm birth, carcinogen exposure, among others. Apprehension related to the health risks and ubiquitous incidence of phthalates in foods inspires the development of reliable analytical approaches that allow their detection and quantification at trace levels. The purpose of the current review is to provide information related to the presence of phthalates in the food chain, highlighting the health risks associated with their exposure. Moreover, an overview of emerging extraction procedures and high-resolution analytical approaches for a comprehensive quantification of phthalates is presented.

Potential risk of BPA and phthalates in commercial water bottles: a minireview

The global water bottling market grows annually. Today, to ensure consumer safety, it is important to verify the possible migration of compounds from bottles into the water contained in them. Potential health risks due to the prevalence of bisphenol A (BPA) and phthalates (PAEs) exposure through water bottle consumption have become an important issue. BPA, benzyl butyl phthalate (BBP), di-n-butyl phthalate (DBP) and di (2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) can cause adverse effects on human health. Papers of literature published in English, with BPA, BBP, DBP and DEHP detections during 2017, by 2019 by liquid chromatography and gas chromatography analysis methods were searched. The highest concentrations of BPA, BBP, DBP and DEHP in all the bottled waters studied were found to be 5.7, 12.11, 82.8 and 64.0 μg/L, respectively. DBP was the most compound detected and the main contributor by bottled water consumption with 23.7% of the Tolerable Daily Intake (TDI). Based on the risk assessment, BPA, BBP, DBP and DEHP in commercial water bottles do not pose a serious concern for humans. The average estrogen equivalent level revealed that BPA, BBP, DBP and DEHP in bottled waters may induce adverse estrogenic effects on human health.

Analytical Method Development and Chemometric Approach for Evidencing Presence of Plasticizer Residues in Nectar Honey Samples

Over the years, anthropogenic sources have increasingly affected food quality. One of the most sensitive and nutritional matrices affected by chemical contamination is honey, due to the use of acaricides. Recently, the attention has moved to the presence of phthalates (PAEs) and bisphenol A (BP-A), molecules present in plastic materials used both in the production phase and in the conservation of honey. In this study, an analytical method for the simultaneous determination of PAEs (dimethyl phthalate DMP, diethyl phthalate DEP, diisobutyl phthalate DiBP, dibutyl phthalate DBP, bis(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate DEHP, and di-n-octyl-phthalate DnOP) and BP-A was developed. The extraction technique is the ultrasound-vortex-assisted dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction (UVA-DLLME), using 150 µL of toluene as an extraction solvent, followed by the gas chromatography coupled with ion trap mass spectrometry analysis (GC-IT/MS). The developed method is sensitive, reliable, and reproducible: it shows high correlation coefficients (R > 0.999); limits of detection (LODs) less than 11 ng·g-1; limits of quantification (LOQs) less than 16 ng·g-1; repeatability below 3.6%, except BP-A (11.6%); and accuracy below 4.8%, except BP-A (17.6%). The method was applied to 47 nectar honey samples for evidencing similarities among them. The chemometric approach based on Hierarchical Cluster Analysis and Principal Component Analysis evidenced some similitudes about sample origin as well as marked differences between PAE and BP-A sources.