The Analysis of BPA Leaching in Various Types of Athletic Wear using Fluorescence Spectrometry

Abstract

Bisphenol A (BPA) is the most common endocrine-disrupting chemical that has been used in polycarbonate plastics and epoxy resins. BPA has been linked to several health issues due to binding to estrogen receptors. BPA is associated with an increase of ovarian, breast, prostate, and testicular cancer as well as low sperm count, motility and abnormal morphology of sperm, birth defects, early puberty, and Polycystic Ovary Syndrome. The item of focus for this research project was athletic wear. BPA can be absorbed dermally which is concerning because clothes have prolonged dermal contact with various types of tissue. Prior research at Ouachita Baptist University had found the presence of BPA in several brands of leggings. BPA leaching from different types of athletic wear were tested in a 50:50 methanol/water mixture as well as in artificial sweat. BPA leaching was observed and measured with a spectrofluorometer. BPA is a fluorescent compound, which means following excitation, it will emit radiation at a longer wavelength than the exciting wavelength. BPA is excited at 275 nm and emits at 306nm. This emitted light was measured and correlated to the concentration of BPA present in the sample. Fluorescence is a very sensitive and selective technique, which makes it possible to determine very low concentrations of BPA with few concerns about contamination. To compare the BPA leaching behavior of different types of athletic wear, a calibration curve was first established to help correlate the concentration of BPA in a standard solution to fluorescence emission intensity. The BPA leaching was monitored over the course of six hours, and a leaching curve was prepared for each sample. BPA is found in very small concentrations in clothes; therefore, the standard addition method was used to calculate the unknown BPA concentration by the addition of a BPA standard solution to the testing solutions