Background

ortho-phthalates and other plasticizers impart flexibility to plastics in food production, processing, and packaging; food consumption is a dominant plasticizer exposure pathway. Lower molecular weight ortho-phthalates are being replaced in plastic products due to toxicity concerns, but toxic hazards of and exposures to replacement ortho-phthalates and other plasticizers are poorly understood.

Objective

We measured 12 ortho-phthalates and 9 other plasticizers in conventional and organic U.S. food products to assess magnitude and profiles of contamination.

Methods

We measured plasticizers in 34 vegetable oils, 10 milks, 18 infant formulas, and 9 cheese powders from macaroni kits using gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry (GC-MS). We analyzed plastic packaging composition using FTIR spectroscopy.

Results

We detected eight ortho-phthalates and three alternatives ((1,2-cyclohexane dicarboxylic acid diisononyl ester (DINCH), diethylhexyl terephthalate (DEHT), and diisobutyl adipate (DIBA). Diethylhexyl phthalate (DEHP) was measured in all 71 products. DEHT had the highest concentration of any plasticizer (>10,000 ng/g in three oils). Oils had the highest total plasticizer (median = 770 ng/g, max = 14,900 ng/g) and milk the lowest (median = 88 ng/g, max = 120 ng/g). Organic milk and refined oils had higher median plasticizer levels than conventional. Refined oils had significantly lower concentrations than unrefined oils. Maximum contributors for every category were non-ortho-phthalates: DEHT (powdered infant formula and oils) and DIBA (cheese powder, milk and liquid formula). Plasticizers were not detected in packaging except epoxidized soybean oil in liquid formula lids.

Impact Statement

Human exposure to plasticizers is a significant public health concern. Nevertheless, sources of such exposures are poorly characterized. This study adds valuable information for estimating legacy and alternative plasticizer exposures from foods. The method developed for measuring DINCH, DINP and DIDP broadens the range of plasticizers other researchers may analyze in future work. The profiles of plasticizer contamination varied depending on the food type. We also document that food processing may be a source of plasticizer contamination in foods.

中文翻译：

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美国部分有机食品和传统食品中邻苯二甲酸盐和其他增塑剂的分析

背景

邻苯二甲酸盐和其他增塑剂赋予塑料在食品生产、加工和包装中的灵活性；食物消费是塑化剂暴露的主要途径。由于毒性问题，塑料产品中的低分子量邻苯二甲酸酯正在被取代，但人们对替代邻苯二甲酸酯和其他增塑剂的毒性危害和接触情况知之甚少。

客观的

我们测量了美国传统食品和有机食品中的 12 种邻苯二甲酸酯和 9 种其他增塑剂，以评估污染程度和概况。

方法

我们使用气相色谱-质谱联用技术 (GC-MS) 测量了通心粉套件中的 34 种植物油、10 种牛奶、18 种婴儿配方奶粉和 9 种奶酪粉中的增塑剂。我们使用 FTIR 光谱分析了塑料包装成分。

结果

我们检测到了八种邻苯二甲酸酯和三种替代品（(1,2-环己烷二甲酸二异壬酯 (DINCH)、对苯二甲酸二乙基己酯 (DEHT) 和己二酸二异丁酯 (DIBA)）。在所有 71 种产品中均检测到了邻苯二甲酸二乙基己酯 (DEHP)。DEHT具有最高浓度的所有增塑剂（三种油中 >10,000 ng/g）。油的总增塑剂含量最高（中值 = 770 ng/g，最大值 = 14,900 ng/g），牛奶含量最低（中值 = 88 ng/g） ，最大值 = 120 ng/g）。有机牛奶和精炼油的增塑剂中值含量高于传统油。精炼油的浓度显着低于未精炼油。每个类别的最大贡献者是非邻苯二甲酸盐：DEHT（婴儿配方奶粉和油）和DIBA（芝士粉、牛奶和液体配方奶粉）。除液体配方奶粉盖子中的环氧大豆油外，包装中未检出增塑剂。

影响报告

人类接触增塑剂是一个重大的公共卫生问题。然而，此类暴露的来源尚不清楚。这项研究为估计食品中残留和替代增塑剂的暴露量增加了有价值的信息。为测量 DINCH、DINP 和 DIDP 开发的方法拓宽了其他研究人员在未来工作中可能分析的增塑剂范围。增塑剂污染的情况因食品类型而异。我们还记录了食品加工可能是食品中增塑剂污染的来源。