In an article published on August 25, 2018, in the peer-reviewed journal Food Chemistry, Nicola Dreolin and colleagues from the Department of Analytical Chemistry, University of Zaragoza, Spain, reported on the analysis of bisphenol A (BPA, CAS 80-05-7) in virgin and recycled polyethylene terephthalate (PET).

BPA is “not intended to take part in the manufacture” of PET, but in recycled PET its presence “should not be neglected,” the scientists explain. They developed a liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry-based method to measure BPA in PET. In sample preparation, a step involving “the total dissolution/reprecipitation of the polymer” is crucial, the authors report.

With their method, Dreolin and colleagues measured “23 samples of virgin and recycled pellets, preforms and bottles” obtained from five different European manufacturers. Their measurements showed “significantly higher levels of BPA in recycled PET.” The authors conclude that, in order to ensure the validity of “BPA-free” claims, BPA levels should be monitored in recycled PET.

Reference

Dreolin, N., et al. (2018). “Development and validation of a LC-MS/MS method for the analysis of bisphenol A in polyethylene terephthalate.Food Chemistry 274: 246-253.

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