Phthalate esters in glass jar metal lids from Serbian markets

Phthalate esters are plasticizers which are used to impart flexibility in PVC resins but also in other resins such as polyvinyl acetates and polyurethanes. A wide range of consumer products contain specific members of this family of chemicals. Phthalate plasticizers are not chemically bound to PVC. Because of that they can enter the environment through losses during manufacturing processes and by leaching from final products [1]. Phthalate esters are suspected of having endocrine disrupting properties [2,3]. Exposure to high concentrations was shown to induce fetal death, cancer, liver and kidney injury and reproductive toxicity in animals [4,5,6]. Due to growing health concerns and environmental awareness, producers all over the world are increasingly forced to use non-phthalate plasticizers. However, phthalate esters are still found in many products, even in those which are used for food packaging and storage. The aim of our study was investigation of glass jar metal lids for presence of phthalate esters. Different glass jars with screw-on metal lids were bought at supermarkets in Belgrade, Serbia. All metal lids had a plastic seal ring that goes between the glass lid and the rim of the jar. The glass jars were washed according to the usual laboratory procedure, filled with distilled water, closed with screw-on metal lids and left upside-down for three days at room temperature. The water from glass jars was extracted with hexane. Hexane extracts were dried with Na2SO4, and evaporated to dryness under stream of nitrogen. Masses of all extracts were 0.2 mg. Procedural blank - a control sample containing distilled water in a glass jar without a metal lid was analyzed according to the same procedure. The resulting mass was negligible. The extracts were analyzed by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS). GC–MS was conducted using an Agilent 7890A gas chromatograph (HP5-MS column, 30 m × 0.25 mm, 0.25 μm film thickness, He carrier gas, 1.5 cm3 min-1), coupled to an Agilent 5975C mass selective detector (70 eV). GC-MS analysis revealed that most of the compounds identified in these extracts were phthalate esters. However, the lids were divided into two distinct groups, based on the number of carbon atoms in the alcohol chain of the phthalate esters identified. One group contained phthalate esters with long alkyl chains (9, 10 or more C atoms). The second group contained phthalate esters with short alkyl chains (usually 4C atoms) with different degree of branching. Typical for the second group of lids were also squalene and 13-docosenamide, common plastic additives. It can be concluded that, regardless of the type of the containing phthalate esters, 0.2 mg of these compounds can migrate from the investigated metal lids into distilled water with which it is in contact, during three days at room temperature. Considering the composition of food products which are usually packed in this kind of containers but also the fact that the increased temperature is usually used during their production process, it can be presumed that migration of phthalate esters from metal lids into the food products contained in the glass jars might be even higher

Phthalate esters in glass jar metal lids from Serbian markets

Phthalate esters are plasticizers which are used to impart flexibility in PVC resins but also in other resins such as polyvinyl acetates and polyurethanes. A wide range of consumer products contain specific members of this family of chemicals. Phthalate plasticizers are not chemically bound to PVC. Because of that they can enter the environment through losses during manufacturing processes and by leaching from final products [1]. Phthalate esters are suspected of having endocrine disrupting properties [2,3]. Exposure to high concentrations was shown to induce fetal death, cancer, liver and kidney injury and reproductive toxicity in animals [4,5,6]. Due to growing health concerns and environmental awareness, producers all over the world are increasingly forced to use non-phthalate plasticizers. However, phthalate esters are still found in many products, even in those which are used for food packaging and storage. The aim of our study was investigation of glass jar metal lids for presence of phthalate esters. Different glass jars with screw-on metal lids were bought at supermarkets in Belgrade, Serbia. All metal lids had a plastic seal ring that goes between the glass lid and the rim of the jar. The glass jars were washed according to the usual laboratory procedure, filled with distilled water, closed with screw-on metal lids and left upside-down for three days at room temperature. The water from glass jars was extracted with hexane. Hexane extracts were dried with Na2SO4, and evaporated to dryness under stream of nitrogen. Masses of all extracts were 0.2 mg. Procedural blank - a control sample containing distilled water in a glass jar without a metal lid was analyzed according to the same procedure. The resulting mass was negligible. The extracts were analyzed by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS). GC–MS was conducted using an Agilent 7890A gas chromatograph (HP5-MS column, 30 m × 0.25 mm, 0.25 μm film thickness, He carrier gas, 1.5 cm3 min-1), coupled to an Agilent 5975C mass selective detector (70 eV). GC-MS analysis revealed that most of the compounds identified in these extracts were phthalate esters. However, the lids were divided into two distinct groups, based on the number of carbon atoms in the alcohol chain of the phthalate esters identified. One group contained phthalate esters with long alkyl chains (9, 10 or more C atoms). The second group contained phthalate esters with short alkyl chains (usually 4C atoms) with different degree of branching. Typical for the second group of lids were also squalene and 13-docosenamide, common plastic additives. It can be concluded that, regardless of the type of the containing phthalate esters, 0.2 mg of these compounds can migrate from the investigated metal lids into distilled water with which it is in contact, during three days at room temperature. Considering the composition of food products which are usually packed in this kind of containers but also the fact that the increased temperature is usually used during their production process, it can be presumed that migration of phthalate esters from metal lids into the food products contained in the glass jars might be even higher

Efficient Development of Green Emulsifier/Emollient-Based Emulsion Vehicles: From RSM Optimal Experimental Design to Abridged In Vivo Assessment

Since natural-origin, sustainable ingredients are preferred by modern consumers, novel emulsifiers and emollients keep entering the market. This study hypothesizes that a combination of in silico, instrumental tools and simplified sensory studies could be used to efficiently characterize emulsions in a shorter timeframe. A total of 22 rather simple o/w emulsions were prepared by a time/energy-saving emulsification process. A natural mixed emulsifier (Lauryl Glucoside/Myristyl Glucoside/Polyglyceryl-6 Laurate) and two emollients (both with INCI name C15–19 Alkane) were used. The performed D-optimal experimental design within the response surface method (RSM) significantly narrowed down the number of samples about to enter the stage of texture, friction and sensory studies to the samples comprising 30% of a respective Emogreen emollient and 2% or 3% of the emulsifier. The sample comprising 2% emulsifier/30% Emogreen® L15 showed significantly higher firmness (42.12 mN) when compared to the one with 2% emulsifier/30% Emogreen® L19 (33.62 mN), which was somewhat unexpected considering the emollients’ inherent viscosity values (4.5 mPa·s for L15 and 9 mPa·s for L19). The sample with 2% emulsifier/30% Emogreen® L19 managed to maintain the lowest friction, while the one with 3% emulsifier/30% Emogreen® L19 released its full lubricating potential in the second part of the measurement (30–60 s). The obtained results revealed the strengths and weaknesses of each formulation, narrowing down their possible applications in the early development stage

E-cigarette liquid and condensate leads to impaired embryonic development of zebrafish

Introduction: E-cigarettes are advertised as safer alternative to tradicional cigarettes. However, they contain chemicals that can exhibit toxic effects on the organism. Notably, effects of e-cigarettes on in utero development are not well studied. We wanted to compare potential toxic effects of e-cigarette liquid and vapor condensate on development of zebrafish embryos. Methods: Six hour old zebrafish embryos were exposed to different concentrations of e-cigarette liquid or vapour condensate – 0.1% and 1%. Untreated embryos were used as control. Each treatment and control were set up in triplicate, with at least 20 embryos per treatment. The effects on survival, hatching and developmental malformations were monitored using light microscopy, at 3 timepoints - 24, 48 and 72 hours post fertilization (hpf). Results: No noticeable differences between control and treated groups were observed 24 hpf. Hatched larvae (35%) treated with 0.1% condensate had scoliosis and malformations- yolk sac and pericardial edema at 48 hpf. In groups treated with 1% of condensate or liquid, hatching was delayed and did not start 48 hpf. At 72 hpf timepoint, in wells with 1% condensate, less than 30% of larvae hatched in total, which was comparable to wells with e-cigarette liquid (25%). Malformations that were observed in all treatements are hemagglutionation, pericardial or yolk sac edema, and scoliosis. In groups with 0.1% condensate these maformations were observed in lower number of embryos, but the percentage of hatched larvae was higher (approximately 80%) at 72 hpf. Conclusions: Chronic exposure to e-cigarette vapor condensate and liquid leads to severe disorders of zebrafish embryonic development

Composition and distribution of saturated hydrocarbons in the vicinity of heating plant in New Belgrade - alluvial sediments of the Sava River, Serbia

The poster presented at 19th European Meeting on Environmental Chemistry - EMEC 19, Dec 3-6, 2018; Royat, FranceAbstract: [https://cer.ihtm.bg.ac.rs/handle/123456789/5180

Detection and bioremediation of petroleum pollutants in groundwater of alluvial aquifer of the Sava river, Serbia

Bioremediation is cheap, efficient, green technology that provides degradation of organic compounds by microorganisms. Products of biodegradation can be less toxic compounds or CO2 and H2O, when biodegradation is complete. The aim of this research was detection and biodegradation of petroleum pollutants in the groundwater from alluvial aquifer of the Sava river in the vicinity of one of the largest district heating plants in New Belgrade (Serbia). The heating plant “New Belgrade” has been using petroleum products as fuel for decades. Total Petroleum Hydrocarbons (TPH) were analyzed in 10 groundwater samples collected from boreholes at the depths from 8 to 11 m. From these samples, TPH were isolated using extraction method with n-hexane. TPH was further analyzed by gas chromatography with flame ionization detector (GC-FID). In this study bioremediation was applied in order to degrade TPH in the groundwater of the investigated location. This research lasted for one year [1]. In the sample P-5 the initial concentration of TPH was 1.39 mg/L and it was 0.02 mg/L at the end of the bioremediation, with TPH reduction of 98.55 %. In the sample P-6, the initial concentration of TPH was 1.76 mg/L, while at the end of the bioremediation it was 0.03 mg/L, with TPH reduction of 98.30 %. In the sample P-7, the initial concentration of TPH was 1.57 mg/L, and at the end of bioremediation it was 0.03 mg/L with TPH reduction of 98.09 %. It can be concluded that this approach was very successful, with an efficiency of approximately 100 % [1, 2]

Sedimentary record of oil pollutant saturated biomarkers in alluvial sediments of the Sava River

The poster presented at: 20th European Meeting on Environmental Chemistry EMEC20; Dec 2-5, 2019; Lodz, PolandAbstract: [https://cer.ihtm.bg.ac.rs/handle/123456789/5123

Evaluation of assays for screening polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon-degrading potential of bacteria

Within a 30-day incubation laboratory study, the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) degradation profile of two bacteria, Planomicrobium sp. RNP01 and Rhodococcus sp. RNP05 were studied by three microtiter plate assays to reveal the combination of certain biological and biochemical characteristics which are reliable indicators in evaluation of bacterial biodegradation abilities. The three assays, which are hydrocarbon growth assay, 2,6-DCPIP assay and dehydrogenase activity assay revealed that Rhodococcus sp. RNP05 exhibited better potential for PAH degradation than Planomicrobium sp. RNP01. Differences between initial and final optical density and specific growth rate constants were significantly higher (r = 0.995, P < 0.05) in case of Rhodococcus sp. RNP05 on all tested substrates, as compared to Planomicrobium sp. RNP01. This was confirmed by GC-FID analyses. Dehydrogenase activity of Rhodococcus sp. RNP05 was higher (r = 0.9995, P < 0.05) than Planomicrobium sp. RNP01 and correlated positively with the hydrocarbon growth assay (r = 0.999, P < 0.05, for Rhodococcus sp. RNP05, r = 0.986, P < 0.05 for Planomicrobium sp. RNP01). This study has shown that the combination of these assays could be used for determining the bioremediation potential of PAHs in petroleum contaminated soil with the ability of screening a large number of bacterial strains.Degradacija policikličnih aromatičnih ugljovodonika (polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons - PAH) ispitivana je testovima u mikrotitar pločama pomoću dva bakterijska soja Planomicrobium sp. RNP01 i Rhodococcus sp. RNP05, u periodu od 30 dana. Rezultati ispitivanja su ukazali da se kombinacijom određenih bioloških i biohemijskih karakteristika mogu kreirati dobri indikatori u proceni bakterijskog degradacionog potencijala. Tri testa, 2,6-DCPIP test, test dehidrogenazne aktivnosti i test rasta na ugljovodonicima pokazali su da Rhodococcus sp. RNP05 ima veći potencijal za degradaciju PAH jednjenja u odnosu na Planomicrobium sp. RNP01. Razlike u početnoj i krajnjoj optičkoj gustini i specifične konstante rasta bile su značajno više (r = 0,995, P < 0,05) u testu sa Rhodococcus sp. RNP05 na svim testiranim supstratima, u poređenju sa Planomicrobium sp. RNP01, a dobijeni rezultati su potvrđeni gasno-hromatogafskom-FID analizom. Dehidrogenazna aktivnost soja Rhodococcus sp. RNP05 bila je viša u odnosu na Planomicrobium sp. RNP01 (r = 0,9995, P < 0,05) i u pozitivnoj korelaciji sa testom rasta na ugljovodonicima (r = 0,999, P < 0,05, za Rhodococcus sp. RNP05, r = 0,986, P < 0,05 za Planomicrobium sp. RNP01). Rezultati prikazanog istraživanja ukazuju na to da se kombinacija ovih testova može koristiti za određivanje bioremedijacionog potencijala za razgradnju PAH jedinjenja u zemljištu zagađenim naftom, pri čemu se dobija i mogućnost testiranja velikog broja bakterijskih sojeva