Migration analysis and health impact assessment of phthalates in takeaway food packaging materials

Plasticizers are commonly utilized as packaging additives in the food service industry. The takeaway food sector provides convenience to consumers, but also raises the risk of human exposure to plasticizers. The goal of this study is to determine the amount of phthalates in takeaway food packaging and compare the migration amounts under various situations. A comprehensive health impact assessment of phthalates was conducted to provide the evaluation of human's daily exposure to phthalates. The results revealed that five phthalates (di (2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP), butyl benzyl phthalate (BBP), diethyl phthalate (DEP), dimethyl phthalate (DMP), dibutyl phthalate (DBP)) could be detected in n-hexane extract of plastic food packaging materials at room temperature. High amount of phthalates was correlated with high temperature or in an oily food simulant solvent. Phthalate contents in dietary exposure did not surpass the concentration that could represent a risk to human health, based on the dietary exposure evaluation.