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Migration of polycyclic aromatic compounds from food storage containers to food
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This study investigated the migration of polycyclic aromatic compounds (PACs) from four common plastic types into dichloromethane and olive oil at 40°C, detecting multiple polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and their alkylated derivatives using gas chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. Researchers quantified migration rates of four PAHs from high-density polyethylene, providing first-reported evidence for this understudied route of human exposure to these potentially harmful compounds.
My thesis was geared towards understanding the migration of a suite of polycyclic aromatic compounds (PACs) from commercially available plastic containers. The literature is replete with examples of chemicals that can migrate of from plastics (e.g., bisphenol-A, flame retardants) but to my knowledge a comprehensive study on PAC migration from different plastic types has not been reported. This is surprising considering that most of the plastics in commerce are derived from crude-oil and PACs are known to be one of the main contaminants in crude-oil. Furthermore, many PACs are known to cause negative health outcomes in wildlife. To understand PAC migration from plastics, I took four plastic-types and incubated them separately at 40oC with dichloromethane and olive-oil. At prescribed time-points I sampled the incubation media and measured PACs using gas chromatography tandem mass spectrometry. I was able to detect several polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and their alkylated derivatives. I also was able to report the rate of migration of four PAHs from high-density polyethylene. My work is important because in addition to reporting the migration of many PACs from plastics for the first time, it also provides evidence for a poorly studied route of human exposure to these compounds and further impetus for investigation into biopolymers and other renewable plastic derivatives.
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This study examined the presence of phthalate esters (PAEs) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in various everyday plastic products and assessed their potential to leach into the environment. Plastic additives like phthalates are endocrine disruptors that can leach from microplastics into surrounding media, posing risks to organisms that ingest plastic particles or live in contaminated water.
Degradation and Migration in Olive Oil Packaged in Polyethylene Terephthalate under Thermal Treatment and Storage Conditions
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Researchers studied how thermal treatment and storage conditions affect the migration of contaminants from polyethylene terephthalate (PET) packaging into olive oil. The study found that higher temperatures accelerated the degradation of PET and increased the migration of potentially harmful compounds into the oil, raising food safety concerns about plastic-packaged cooking oils.
Laboratory Measurements of Pyrene and Acenaphthene Partition into Microplastics
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Laboratory experiments measured how quickly and extensively three polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) — pyrene, phenanthrene, and acenaphthene — sorb onto pellets of five common plastic types. PAH uptake had half-lives of around 10 hours, with polypropylene absorbing the most and PVC absorbing the least. The results confirm that microplastics act as concentration vectors for toxic organic pollutants in the environment, and that weathering and oxidation of plastic surfaces increases their capacity to carry these chemicals into aquatic food chains.
Voyaging of halogenated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, an emerging group of pollutants, on micro-mesoplastics in the marine environment.
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Researchers detected 61 of 75 target halogenated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in micro-mesoplastics collected from coastal environments in Sri Lanka and Japan, finding that plastic surfaces accumulate these emerging pollutants at concentrations far exceeding surrounding sediments and that chlorinated PAHs dominated over brominated forms at both sites.
Evaluating the effect of different modified microplastics on the availability of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons
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Researchers investigated how weathering processes alter the ability of polyethylene microplastics to affect the bioavailability of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, finding that etching and UV aging increased surface oxygen groups, specific surface area, and pore volume. Free PAH concentrations decreased with increasing microplastic concentration for most hydrophobic PAHs, and UV aging only slightly altered sorption coefficients compared to pristine microplastics.
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