Dados do Trabalho

Título

MIGRATION OF PLATICIZERS AND BENZOPHENONES FROM SILICONE UTENSILS INTEND FOR DOMESTIC AND INFANT USES

Introdução

Silicone elastomers has been widely used as a food contact material. For silicone elastomer production, a benzophenone-based photoinitiator is used for crosslinking the elastomer. Additionally, plasticizers, such as phthalates, have been used to elongate the elastomer chains, improving the properties of the polymers. Over the past 20 years, some phthalates (PAEs) have been subject to scrutiny by government agencies due to their potential endocrine-disrupting effects on humans. Regarding benzophenone, beyond its endocrine-disrupting actions, the International Agency for Research on Cancer has indicated potential carcinogenicity in humans. Data on the migration of benzophenones and phthalates from silicone materials sold in Brazil are still scarce. Accordingly, the aim of this study was to evaluate the migration of BPs and phthalates from silicone materials to food simulants, as well as total volatile organic compounds (% VOC).

Material e Métodos

For this purpose, twenty-one samples of silicone utensils, including molds, spatulas, cups, cupcake molds, and infant utensils like spoons and nipples, were evaluated in triplicate. Migration assays were performed using 95% ethanol as a fatty simulant and 50% ethanol as a milk simulant. Volatile organic matter was evaluated gravimetrically. Eight plasticizers were determined using a gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) system. Liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) was used to evaluate 12 benzophenones used as crosslinkers for silicone elastomer. The methods used were validated in terms of limit of detection, limit of quantification, linearity, precision, and recovery

Resultados e Discussão

Eighty-five percent of the samples showed %VOC above the recommended limit (0.5%). For phthalate migration, 50% of the samples presented migration of at least one compound. Diisobutyl phthalate (DIBP) migration reached 5 mg/kg. DIBP is not regulated for use in food contact materials. On the other hand, all samples evaluated showed migration of benzophenones. Benzophenone (BP) and benzophenone-2 were the most detected compounds, reaching up to 0.4 mg/kg for BP.

Conclusão

The value is in compliance with the legal limit (0.6 mg/kg). This is the first report on the migration of these compounds from silicone utensils sold in Brazil. Given all the adverse effects linked to these compounds, efforts should be undertaken to reduce the Brazilian population's exposure to these contaminants.