title: Migration levels of PVC plasticisers: Effect of ionising radiation treatment.
abstract: Migration levels of commercial plasticisers [di-(2-ethylhexyl) adipate (DEHA) and acetyl tributyl citrate (ATBC)] from polyvinyl chloride (PVC) film into the EU specified aqueous food simulants (distilled water, 3% w/v acetic acid and 10% v/v ethanol) were monitored as a function of time. Migration testing was carried out at 40°C for 10days (EEC, 1993). Determination of the analytes was performed by applying the analytical methodology based on surfactant (Triton X-114) mediated extraction prior to gas chromatographic-flame ionisation detection (GC-FID) recently proposed by our group. The study focuses on the determination of the effect of gamma radiation on plasticiser migration into the selected simulants. PVC cling film used was subjected to ionising treatment with a [(60)Co] source at doses equal to 5, 15 and 25kGy. DEHA and ATBC migration into the EU aqueous simulating solvents was limited, yielding final concentrations in the respective ranges 10-100μg/l and 171-422μg/l; hence, ATBC demonstrated a stronger interaction with all three simulants compared to DEHA. Migration data, with respect to ATBC, showed that the most aggressive simulant seemed to be the 10% ethanol, while in the case of DEHA the 3% aqueous acetic acid exhibited the highest extraction efficiency; distilled water demonstrated the lowest migration in both cases. With regard to PVC treatment with gamma rays, high radiation doses up to 25kGy produced a statistically significant (p<0.05) effect on the migration of both plasticisers.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Food Chemistry and Technology, Department of Chemistry, University of Ioannina, 45110 Ioannina, Greece. Electronic address: me00806@cc.uoi.gr.
authors.forename: Panagiota D
authors.initials: PD
authors.lastname: Zygoura
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Food Chemistry and Technology, Department of Chemistry, University of Ioannina, 45110 Ioannina, Greece.
authors.forename: Evangelos K
authors.initials: EK
authors.lastname: Paleologos
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Food Chemistry and Technology, Department of Chemistry, University of Ioannina, 45110 Ioannina, Greece.
authors.forename: Michael G
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Kontominas
keywords: Acetyl tributyl citrate; Aqueous food simulants; Cloud point extraction; Di-(2-ethylhexyl) adipate; Gamma radiation; Gas chromatography; Migration; PVC