Prevalence of synthetic phenolic antioxidants in food contact materials from China and their implications for human dietary exposure through take-away food.

The application of disposable tableware has increased substantially in recent times due to the rapidly growing food delivery business in China. Synthetic phenolic antioxidants (SPAs) are widely used in food contact materials (FCMs) to delay the process of oxidation; however, their compositions, concentrations, and potential health hazards remain unclear. Therefore, FCMs comprised of five materials obtained from 19 categories (n = 118) in China were analyzed for SPAs concentrations. FCMs have been found to contain a variety of SPAs, with ∑SPAs concentrations ranging from 44.18 to 69,485.12 µg/kg (median: 2615.63 µg/kg). The predominant congeners identified in the sample include 2,4-di-tert-butylphenol (2,4-DTBP), 2,6-di-tert-butylphenol (2,6-DTBP), and 2,6-di-tert-butyl-p-benzoquinone (BHT-Q) with a median concentration of 885.75, 555.45 and of 217.44 µg/kg, respectively. Milky tea paper cups, instant noodle buckets, milky teacups, and disposable cups showed high levels of SPAs. 2,2'-methylenebis(4-methyl-6-tert-butylphenol) (AO 2246) was predominantly detected in polyethylene and polyethylene terephthalate-based products. The migration test identified disposable plastic cups and bowls as the predominant FCMs and 2,4-DTBP as the dominant SPA. The exposure risk of SPAs decreased with age. In children, the estimated daily intake of ∑SPAs from FCMs was determined to be 17.56 ng/kg body weight/day, which was 8.3 times higher than that of phthalic acid esters. The current findings indicate the potential ingestion risk of SPAs during the daily life application of multiple FCM categories.

Urinary concentrations of organophosphate esters in relation to semen quality: A cross-sectional study.

Organophosphate esters (OPEs) are widely used as flame retardants and plasticizers in consumer products. Toxicological studies have indicated that OPEs may affect male reproductive health, but human evidence is inconclusive. In this study, we explored associations of individual and mixtures of OPE exposure with semen quality among 1015 Chinese men from an infertility clinic. After adjusting for potential confounders, we observed that higher diphenyl phosphate (DPHP) and [Bis(2-methylphenyl) phosphate (BMPP)] exposure was associated with increased odds ratios (ORs) of having below-reference total sperm count. Higher bis (2-butoxyethyl) phosphate (BBOEP) exposure was associated with increased ORs of having below-reference progressive motility and total motility. For semen quality parameters modeled as continuous outcomes, inverse associations with individual OPE were still observed. In addition, urinary 1-hydroxy-2-propyl bis (1-chloro-2-propyl) phosphate (BCIPHIPP) concentrations were inversely associated with the percentage of normal morphology while positively associated with the percentage of abnormal heads. Quantile g-computation regression analyses showed that exposure to higher OPE mixtures was associated with lower total sperm motility and normal morphology. Our results indicated that both individual and mixtures of OPE exposure were associated with reduced semen quality.

Determination of quinolones in environmental water and fish by magnetic metal organic frameworks based magnetic solid-phase extraction followed by high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry.

The widespread use of quinolones has become an increasing global public health threat. In this study, IRMOF-3 coated SiO2/Fe3O4 were prepared via a facile room-temperature method. The prepared IRMOF-3 coated SiO2/Fe3O4 was used as a sorbent for magnetic solid phase extraction, and then combined with high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry for the determination of 10 quinolines. The extraction conditions of magnetic solid phase extraction were studied in detail, and the optimal conditions were established. Under the optimal experimental conditions, the limits of quantification of 10 quinolones were in the range of 0.005-0.01 µg L-1, the relative standard deviations were 6.58-10.6% (n=7), the enrichment factors were 21.0-23.8 for water samples. The limits of quantification of 10 quinolones were in the range of 0.10-0.20 µg kg-1, the relative standard deviations were 5.95-14.5% (n=7), the enrichment factors were 1.08-1.24 for fish samples. The proposed method was applied for the determination of 10 quinolones in river water, aquacultural water and a fish sample, and enrofloxacin and ciprofloxacin were found in the fish sample.

Quantitative analysis of 20 fentanyl analogues by modified QuEChERS-LC-MS/MS in health products and transdermal patches.

The spreading of narcotics especially illicit novel psychoactive substances is a continuing problem in recent years. In response to reduce the morbidity and crime related to fentanyl analogues, the accurate measurement of fentanyl analogues concentrations is significantly important in the analytical laboratories for customs checks and clinical application. In this work, ethyl acetate was selected as extraction solvent, 50 mg of PSA, 100 mg of C18, and 10 mg of GCB were optimized for purification. A modified QuEChERS extraction method followed by high performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry with the mode of multiple reaction monitoring has been developed for the simultaneous determination of 20 fentanyl analogues in collagen peptides, slimming capsules and fentanyl transdermal patches. The limits of detection (LODs) varied from 0.004 to 0.02 µg L-1 with relative standard deviations of 4.89-11.4 % and showed good linearity in the range of 0.02-10 µg L-1 and 0.01-1.00 mg L-1, respectively. The recoveries for 20 fentanyl analogues in the low (at µg L-1 level) and high (at mg L-1 level) concentration spiked samples were in the range of 77.7-114 % and 83.9-116 %, which demonstrated the application potential of the proposed method for the determination of fentanyl analogues with low and high concentration in real case samples. In addition, the matrix effect and the cross-reactivity were also proved to not interfere with quantitation of targeted fentanyl analogues. Thus, the developed method showed high sensitivity and good accuracy, which makes it suitable for the rapid detection of fentanyl analogues for customs and border service as well as pharmaceuticals.

Exposure to organophosphate flame retardants of hotel room attendants in Wuhan City, China.

Indoor environments provide sources of exposure to organophosphate flame retardants (PFRs), which are artificially synthesized fire-protecting agents used as additives in interior products. As public spaces, hotels are required to meet stricter fire-precaution criteria. As such, room attendants may be exposed to higher levels of PFRs. Our goal was to characterize the exposure of hotel room attendants to PFRs by measuring metabolites in their urine and the corresponding parent PFRs in dust and hand-wipes collected from 27 hotels located in Wuhan City, China. The exposure of the attendants was found to be omnipresent: urinary metabolites of PFRs, such as DPHP (diphenyl phosphate), BDCIPP (bis(1,3-dichloro-2-propyl) phosphate), and DoCP (di-o-cresyl phosphate) & DpCP (di-p-cresyl phosphate) were detected with high frequency (87%, 79% and 87%, respectively). We observed that metabolites in post-shift urine were consistently present at higher levels than those in the first morning voids (p < 0.05 for BDCIPP and DPHP). Regarding external exposure, 10 PFRs were determined in both dust samples and hand-wipes, with TCIPP (tris(2-chloroisopropyl) phosphate) being the most abundant compound in both matrices. The levels of PFRs in hand-wipes and dust samples were not correlated. PFRs in dust and their corresponding urinary metabolites were not significantly correlated, while a moderate significant correlation of TDCIPP (tris(1,3-dichloro-2-propyl) phosphate) in hand-wipes and its urinary metabolite, BDCIPP, was observed in both morning void samples (p = 0.01) and post-shift urine (p = 0.002). Moreover, we found that participants from high-rise buildings (defined as > 7 stories) had significantly higher BDCIPP and DPHP concentrations than those from low-rise buildings. A possible reason is that high-rise buildings may use high-grade fireproof building materials to meet stricter fire restrictions. Overall, these results indicate that PFRs exposure in hotels is a contributor to the personal exposure of hotel room attendants.

Magnetic Solid-Phase Extraction Based on ß-Cyclodextrins/Acrylic Acid Modified Magnetic Gelatin for Determination of Moxidectin in Milk Samples.

ß-Cyclodextrins/acrylic acid modified magnetic gelatin was prepared and then employed as the magnetic solid-phase extraction (MSPE) sorbent for extraction of moxidectin in milk samples. Due to the rigidity of hydrophobic cavity of ß-cyclodextrins and carboxyl groups of acrylic acid, magnetic composites are prepared to form a complex with target molecules through various kinds of chemical reactions and then showed excellent extraction performance. This method exhibits the advantages of simplicity of implementation, short extraction time (5 min), low solvent consumption, and high extraction efficiency. A rapid, simple, and effective method for the analysis of moxidectin in milk samples was established by MSPE coupled with liquid chromatography-fluorescence detection. The limit of detection was 0.1 ng·mL(-1) and the recoveries from milk samples were in the range of 93.8%-112.5%. The relative standard deviation was not higher than 6.4%. In conclusion, magnetic solid-phase extraction is a simple and robust preconcentration technique that can be coupled to other analytical methods for the quantitative determination of target molecules in complex samples.

[Inhibitory effects of dry Acorus calamus extracts on the growth of two water bloom-forming algal species].

A trial with different concentrations of aqueous extracts from dry Acorus calamus plants was conducted to study the effects of the extracts on Microcystis aeruginosa and Chlorella pyrenoidosa growth. Allelopathic effects were observed. High concentration ( >40 ml x L(-1)) extracts inhibited the growth of the two algal species at low inoculation cell density significantly (P < 0.01), with the maximal inhibition rate being 98.66% for M. aeruginosa and 92.38% for C. pyrenoidosa, while low concentration ( < 30 ml x L(-1)) extracts promoted the growth of C. pyrenoidosa. Neither high nor low concentration extracts had significant effects on the growth of the two algal species at high inoculation cell density (P > 0.05). The comparison of adding the aqueous extracts once and semiconsecutively showed that the allelochemicals in the extracts were easy to be degraded, suggesting that the continuous secretion of allelochemicals in natural water bodies could play an important role in inhibiting algal growth.