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Twenty bisphenol analogues in take-out polystyrene-made food containers: concentration levels, simulated migration, and risk evaluation

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Abstract

Bisphenol A (BPA) is mainly used to produce polycarbonate consumer products. However, the occurrence of BPA and other bisphenol analogues (BPs) in polystyrene-made plastic products, such as white foam take-out containers (WFTOCs), has not been well investigated. In this study, occurrence of 20 BPs in WFTOC samples collected from China, Canada, and Poland were investigated with a sample size of 152. Results showed that 11 out of 20 BPs have been detected at least in one WFTOC sample. Among them, BPA was the most frequently detected BP, followed by bisphenol S (BPS) and bisphenol AF, while BPF was the least detected BP. Very high concentrations of BPA and BPS were detected in WFTOCs from China (mean 2694 and 552 ng/g), compared with Canada (81 and 45 ng/g, respectively) and Poland (95 and 16 ng/g). Other BPs, such as bisphenol TMC (BPTMC; detection frequency 65%, range < LOQ − 224 ng/g), bisphenol G (17%, < LOQ − 11 ng/g), and bisphenol BP (11%, < LOQ − 1.6 ng/g), were also detected in Chinese WFTOC samples. The mean partitioning coefficients of BPA, BPS, bisphenol AP, and BPTMC between WFTOCs and tap water, 10% ethanol, 50% ethanol, corn oil, or steamed rice were 0.22 − 2.9%, 0.16 − 5.1%, 0.11 − 7.5%, 2.3 − 6.5%, or 0.19 − 0.36%, respectively. The estimated daily intake of BPA, BPS, and BPTMC through using WFTOCs were 0.50 − 547, 0.054 − 229, and < 0.66 ng/kg bw/day, respectively, for general population in China, Canada, and Poland. Overall, this study first reveals the unexpected presence of BPs in WFTOCs made of polystyrene, which contributes to the better understanding of the sources of human exposure to BPs.

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Funding

This study was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (21806139) and Natural Science Foundation of Zhejiang Province (YQ 202043985).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Key Laboratory of Microbial Technology for Industrial Pollution Control of Zhejiang Province, College of Environment, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou, 310014, People’s Republic of China

    Nan Zhao, Jianqiang Zhu, Meirong Zhao & Hangbiao Jin

  2. Department of Environmental Engineering, Taizhou University, Taizhou, Zhejiang, 318000, People’s Republic of China

    Jianqiang Zhu

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  1. Nan Zhao
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  2. Jianqiang Zhu
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  3. Meirong Zhao
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  4. Hangbiao Jin
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Contributions

Nan Zhao: writing—original draft preparation, data curation, methodology. Jianqiang Zhu: data curation, formal analysis. Meirong Zhao: writing—reviewing and editing, conceptualization. Hangbiao Jin: formal analysis, methodology, writing—reviewing and editing, supervision.

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Correspondence to Hangbiao Jin.

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Zhao, N., Zhu, J., Zhao, M. et al. Twenty bisphenol analogues in take-out polystyrene-made food containers: concentration levels, simulated migration, and risk evaluation. Environ Sci Pollut Res 30, 10516–10526 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-022-22890-4

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