title: Unusually high levels of bisphenol A (BPA) in thermal paper cash register receipts (CRs): development and application of a robust LC-UV method to quantify BPA in CRs.
abstract: We have developed a simple, reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC) method for the determination of bisphenol A (BPA) in thermal paper cash register receipts (CRs). The method is suitable for analysis of other types of bisphenols and it involves an overnight extraction of CRs with acetonitrile (AN) at 50 °C followed by the HPLC analysis on a Supelcosil LC18 column (150 × 4.6 mm, particle size: 5 μ) using 50% AN in water as the mobile phase (5 min, isocratic). The composition of AN in the mobile phase changed to 100% over a 10 min period (linear gradient) and then held at 100% AN for 10 min (isocratic). The flow rate was set at 1 mL/min (injection volume: 20 μL) and the eluent was monitored at 234 nm. The authentic BPA eluted with a retention time of 5.9 min and gave a linear detector response in the concentration range of 0.23-50 mg/L. BPA in the CR extracts also eluted with the same retention and had identical absorbance properties as the standard. When CR extracts were co-injected with authentic BPA, they were resolved as a single peak. Further, GC/MS/EI analysis of authentic BPA and the HPLC-purified CR extracts have identical ion chromatograms and fragmentation of the molecular ion (m/z = 228). We have analyzed 170 CRs collected from 62 different vendors including supermarkets, fast food restaurants, gas stations and banking outlets. Almost all cash receipts (n = 168) showed the presence of BPA in the concentration range of 0.45-4.26% (M ± SD, 1.54 ± 0.73%).
authors.affiliation: a Environmental Toxicology PhD Program and the Health Research Center, Southern University and A&M College , Baton Rouge , LA , USA.
authors.forename: Sainath
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Babu
authors.affiliation: a Environmental Toxicology PhD Program and the Health Research Center, Southern University and A&M College , Baton Rouge , LA , USA.
authors.forename: Sannihith N
authors.initials: SN
authors.lastname: Uppu
authors.affiliation: a Environmental Toxicology PhD Program and the Health Research Center, Southern University and A&M College , Baton Rouge , LA , USA.
authors.forename: Brittany
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Martin
authors.affiliation: a Environmental Toxicology PhD Program and the Health Research Center, Southern University and A&M College , Baton Rouge , LA , USA.
authors.forename: Ogad A
authors.initials: OA
authors.lastname: Agu
authors.affiliation: a Environmental Toxicology PhD Program and the Health Research Center, Southern University and A&M College , Baton Rouge , LA , USA.
authors.forename: Rao M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Uppu
mesh_terms: D001559:Benzhydryl Compounds / Q000032:analysis*; D002138:Calibration; D002851:Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid / Q000379:methods*; D056148:Chromatography, Reverse-Phase / Q000379:methods*; D004784:Environmental Monitoring / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods*; D004785:Environmental Pollutants / Q000032:analysis*; D008401:Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry / Q000379:methods; D008145:Louisiana; D010209:Paper; D010636:Phenols / Q000032:analysis*; D021241:Spectrometry, Mass, Electrospray Ionization / Q000379:methods; D000098826:Bisphenol A Compounds
chemical_list: D001559:Benzhydryl Compounds; D004785:Environmental Pollutants; D010636:Phenols; C006780:bisphenol A; D000098826:Bisphenol A Compounds
keywords: MS–EI detection; Method development for BPA; RP-HPLC; thermal paper cash receipts