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Study of Leaching of Bisphenol a from Infant Feeding Plastic Bottles Available in Local Market of Lahore /Muhammad Faraz Ali Bhatti

By: Material type: TextTextPublication details: Lahore : Department of Chemistry, Div. S&T University of Education, 2018Description: 50 p. CDSubject(s): DDC classification:
  • 546 St9468
Summary: Bisphenol A (BPA) is a chemical compound that can disturb the endocrine system of human especially affecting the growing organisms such as infants or babies. Infants or babies use plastic feeding bottles. BPA is the main ingredient to produce polycarbonate. The plastic baby feeding bottles are commonly made up of polycarbonate material from which BPA can leach into the liquid stuff such as milk or any other infant liquid formula. So, babies are exposed to BPA more frequently. This BPA contamination produces health concern for babies even if the leaching levels are very low. This is because infants use the feeding bottles for a long term on daily basis since their birth. Previous research shows BPA is rapidly eliminated from the body after a short single dose exposure, but continuous exposure through diet appears to result in BPA accumulation at detectable levels in serum or plasma. Long term exposure to BPA causes serious health problems in babies such as negative effects on endocrine system, immune system, reproductive system and neurodevelopment. Regarding this issue, Canada became the first country to ban the use of polycarbonate (BPA containing) plastic baby bottles in 2008. The European union also banned baby bottles made up of polycarbonate and suggested to use the alternate baby bottles such as glass baby bottles. This issue is of great concern since in our country no such action has been taken to ban the use of BPA in manufacturing baby bottle or the ban on import of such bottles. The present study was carried out to examine the baby bottles for the leaching or migration of BPA from baby bottles. 44 In this research, 10 baby bottles were examined for leaching of BPA. Out of 10 baby bottles, five were newly purchased from local market of Lahore and remaining five were already used by babies. Ethanol and water solution (1:1) was used as a simulant for milk to observe the leaching of BPA from baby bottles. Baby bottles were heated in three different ways at 60oC such as heating in an electric oven, water bath and microwave oven. The sample solutions obtained by heating baby bottles in different ways were investigated for leaching of BPA using a UV-VIS spectrophotometer. BPA leaching was detected in sample solutions of only two out of ten baby bottles. There was no BPA leaching observed in sample solutions collected from remaining eight bottles. BPA leaching levels by heating in different ways in those two bottles were 9.03 (electric oven), 8.76 µg/mL (water bath), 3.83 µg/mL (Microwave oven) and 4.93 µg/mL (electric oven), 5.63 µg/mL (water bath), 2.93 µg/mL (microwave oven) respectively. The result showed that BPA leached into the food-simulating liquid in varying amounts implying that children may have been exposed to this monomer since birth. Due to the estrogenic nature of BPA and its likely consequence, it brings about a cause for concern, especially when the blood-brain barrier of newborn and infants have not been fully developed yet, hence, are very susceptible to chemicals. The migration of BPA into liquids inside baby bottles is due to degradation or depolymerization of the polycarbonate and by leaching from the polymer.
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Bisphenol A (BPA) is a chemical compound that can disturb the endocrine system of human especially affecting the growing organisms such as infants or babies. Infants or babies use plastic feeding bottles. BPA is the main ingredient to produce polycarbonate. The plastic baby feeding bottles are commonly made up of polycarbonate material from which BPA can leach into the liquid stuff such as milk or any other infant liquid formula. So, babies are exposed to BPA more frequently. This BPA contamination produces health concern for babies even if the leaching levels are very low. This is because infants use the feeding bottles for a long term on daily basis since their birth. Previous research shows BPA is rapidly eliminated from the body after a short single dose exposure, but continuous exposure through diet appears to result in BPA accumulation at detectable levels in serum or plasma. Long term exposure to BPA causes serious health problems in babies such as negative effects on endocrine system, immune system, reproductive system and neurodevelopment. Regarding this issue, Canada became the first country to ban the use of polycarbonate (BPA containing) plastic baby bottles in 2008. The European union also banned baby bottles made up of polycarbonate and suggested to use the alternate baby bottles such as glass baby bottles. This issue is of great concern since in our country no such action has been taken to ban the use of BPA in manufacturing baby bottle or the ban on import of such bottles. The present study was carried out to examine the baby bottles for the leaching or migration of BPA from baby bottles. 44 In this research, 10 baby bottles were examined for leaching of BPA. Out of 10 baby bottles, five were newly purchased from local market of Lahore and remaining five were already used by babies. Ethanol and water solution (1:1) was used as a simulant for milk to observe the leaching of BPA from baby bottles. Baby bottles were heated in three different ways at 60oC such as heating in an electric oven, water bath and microwave oven. The sample solutions obtained by heating baby bottles in different ways were investigated for leaching of BPA using a UV-VIS spectrophotometer. BPA leaching was detected in sample solutions of only two out of ten baby bottles. There was no BPA leaching observed in sample solutions collected from remaining eight bottles. BPA leaching levels by heating in different ways in those two bottles were 9.03 (electric oven), 8.76 µg/mL (water bath), 3.83 µg/mL (Microwave oven) and 4.93 µg/mL (electric oven), 5.63 µg/mL (water bath), 2.93 µg/mL (microwave oven) respectively. The result showed that BPA leached into the food-simulating liquid in varying amounts implying that children may have been exposed to this monomer since birth. Due to the estrogenic nature of BPA and its likely consequence, it brings about a cause for concern, especially when the blood-brain barrier of newborn and infants have not been fully developed yet, hence, are very susceptible to chemicals. The migration of BPA into liquids inside baby bottles is due to degradation or depolymerization of the polycarbonate and by leaching from the polymer.

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