Migration of Nonylphenols from Polymer Packaging Materials into Food Simulants

p-Nonylphenol (NP) is widely used in many industrial applications (detergents, latex paints, pesticides, and plastics), and its presence in the environment has acquired an increasing concern since it was shown to be, besides its persistence and toxicity, an estrogenic compound. Seven samples of stretch PVC films and two PVC dishes for food packaging obtained from food producers were analysed for the presence of NP. Four of the PVC films contained NP at the concentrations of 0.44 mg/g, 1.03 mg/g, 1.28 mg/g, and 1.72 mg/g, respectively, while NP was not detected (the detection level being 5 mu g/g) in the remaining films and two dishes. The NP positive films were used for the studies of NP migration into the food simulants. The levels of NP migration into the food simulants: distilled water, 3% acetic acid solution, and 95% ethanol were 0.017-0.091 mg/g (3.2-5.3%), 0.013-0.079 mg/g (2.9-4.6%), and 0.125-0.449 mg/g (21.5-35.0%), respectively. The potential safety risks estimated from the results obtained as well as the possible sources of the NP contamination in the analysed stretch PVC food films are discussed in the following article.