title: Oestrogenicity of paper and cardboard extracts used as food containers.
abstract: Bisphenol-A (BPA), dibutyl phthalate (DBP), and di-2-ethylhexyl phthalate (DEHP), which are common chemical residues in food-packaging materials, were investigated in paper and cardboard containers used for take-away food. The oestrogenicity of aqueous extracts was tested in E-Screen bioassay and analysis carried out by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC/MS). Oestrogenicity was demonstrated in 90% of extracts (geometric mean [GM] = 11.97 pM oestradiol equivalents g(-1)). DEHP, DBP, and BPA (GM = 341.74, 37.59, and 2.38 ng g(-1) of material) were present in 77.50, 67.50, and 47.50% of samples, respectively. In bivariate analyses, no significant association was found between the levels of these chemicals and oestrogenicity in cardboard/paper extracts. A close-to-significant association was found between oestrogenicity and DBP (beta = 1.25; p = 0.06) in paper extracts, which reached statistical significance in multivariate analysis (beta = 1.61; p = 0.03). Paper and cardboard used in food packaging may contribute to the inadvertent exposure of consumers to endocrine-disrupting chemicals.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Medical Investigations, San Cecilio University Hospital, University of Granada, E-18071 Granada, Spain.
authors.forename: M-J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Lopez-Espinosa
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Granada
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Araque
authors.forename: J-M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Molina-Molina
authors.forename: M-C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Puertollano
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Rivas
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Fernández
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Cerrillo
authors.forename: M-F
authors.initials: MF
authors.lastname: Olea-Serrano
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: López
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Olea
mesh_terms: D001559:Benzhydryl Compounds; D001681:Biological Assay / Q000379:methods; D049109:Cell Proliferation / Q000187:drug effects; D002851:Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid; D003993:Dibutyl Phthalate / Q000494:pharmacology; D004051:Diethylhexyl Phthalate / Q000494:pharmacology; D004958:Estradiol / Q000494:pharmacology; D004968:Estrogens, Non-Steroidal / Q000494:pharmacology*; D005260:Female; D005506:Food Contamination; D018857:Food Packaging; D008401:Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry; D006801:Humans; D010209:Paper; D010636:Phenols / Q000494:pharmacology; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured; D000098826:Bisphenol A Compounds
chemical_list: D001559:Benzhydryl Compounds; D003993:Dibutyl Phthalate; D004051:Diethylhexyl Phthalate; D004958:Estradiol; D004968:Estrogens, Non-Steroidal; D010636:Phenols; C006780:bisphenol A; D000098826:Bisphenol A Compounds