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MAFF UK - PHTHALATES IN PAPER AND BOARD PACKAGING

Index to MAFF UK Food Surveillance Information Sheets, 1995

Summary

MAFF's Food Safety Directorate has carried out a survey of 100 retail samples of printed paper and board packaging to investigate the types and levels of phthalates present in the packaging. Selected foods packaged in the samples of paper and board were also analysed to determine whether phthalates migrated into the food.

A pilot study was carried out and dibutyl phthalate (DBP) and diethylhexyl phthalate (DEHP) were identified as the most common phthalates present in paper and board products. One hundred samples of retail paper and board were therefore analysed for DBP and DEHP. DBP was present in 98 per cent of the samples at concentrations of 5 - 5860 mg/kg packaging and DEHP in 95 per cent of samples at 5 - 3030 mg/kg packaging.

Thirty-one samples of food that had been packaged in paper and board were analysed for DBP and DEHP. DBP was detected in 27 out of 31 samples at 0.04 - 62 mg/kg food and DEHP was detected in 30 out of 31 samples at 0.1 - 25 mg/kg food. Estimated intakes of phthalates from these foods would be well within tolerable levels.

The results of the survey show that, while it is probable that phthalates migrate from paper and board products into food, other sources are also likely to contribute to the contamination of food by phthalates.

Background

Phthalates are a group of organic chemicals which have a wide variety of industrial uses including use as plasticisers in printing inks for flexible food packaging. As a result of their diverse and widespread use and resistance to degradation, phthalates are ubiquitous in the environment and are often found at low levels in food. The toxicity of these substances has been considered by the EC Scientific Committee for Food which has established a Tolerable Daily Intake (TDI) for many of the chemicals in the group.

Many chemicals are used in the manufacture of paper and board food packaging. Phthalates were identified as a group of chemicals which may be present in paper and board materials and may originate from the printing inks used on the packaging.

The Food Safety Directorate has carried out a survey of 100 retail samples of printed paper and board packaging to investigate the types and levels of phthalates used. Selected foods packaged in the paper and board were also analysed to determine whether phthalates migrated into the food.

Method

The paper and board packaging was extracted with chloroform and the sample extracts analysed by gas chromatography - mass spectrometry (GC-MS). All foods, except fats, were extracted with dichloromethane/acetonitrile (1:1 v/v). For fats, the top 1cm was removed from each surface resulting in an outer and core sample. The 2 samples were then extracted with dichloromethane/cyclohexane (1:1 v/v). All extracts of the foods were analysed by GC-MS.

The limit of detection for DBP and DEHP was 5 mg/kg in the paper and board and 0.02 mg/kg in the food. The quality control data indicated a variability of the method of 20 per cent for DBP and 11 per cent for DEHP, with recoveries of 73-115 per cent DBP and 84-122 per cent DEHP in spiked foods.

Results

A pilot study showed that dibutyl phthalate (DBP) and diethylhexyl phthalate (DEHP) were the phthalates most commonly present in paper and board food packaging.

The concentrations of DBP and DEHP found in the samples of packaging are given in Table 1. DBP was present in 98 per cent of the samples at concentrations of 5 - 5860 mg/kg packaging and DEHP in 95 per cent of samples at 5 - 3030 mg/kg packaging. Forty percent of the samples contained DBP below 100 mg/kg packaging and over half of the samples contained DEHP below 100 mg/kg packaging.

Thirty-one samples of food were selected for analysis on the basis of the levels of DBP and DEHP that could migrate into the food, the variability of product types within a food group, the likely consumption of the food and the percentage fat content. At least 1 sample from each food group was analysed. The concentrations of DBP and DEHP found in the food samples are given in Table 2. DBP was detected in 27 out of 31 samples at 0.04 - 62 mg/kg food and DEHP was detected in 30 out of 31 samples at 0.1 - 25 mg/kg food. The highest concentrations of DBP were found in chocolate coated cakes (5.8 mg/kg), sausages (4.4 mg/kg), vegetable burger mix (10 mg/kg) gravy granules (62 mg/kg) and vegetable fat (8.4 mg/kg). The highest concentrations of DEHP were found in samples of vegetable fat (11 mg/kg) and cookies (25 mg/kg).

Interpretation

The EC Scientific Committee for Food has established a TDI for DBP and DEHP (0.05 mg/kg body weight/ day), although the level for DBP is temporary and will be reviewed when further toxicological studies have been carried out. When EC legislation for food contract plastics was developed, specific migration limits (SML) for some substances were derived from the TDI to provide limits for the migration of substances from plastic packaging into food. The SMLs for DBP and DEHP have also been established in relation to possible future legislation on plastics additives. These can therefore only be taken as guideline limits for the migration from paper and board into food. In this survey, 9 samples of food were found to contain levels of DBP and/or DEHP above the proposed SML. However, there is evidence to suggest that the phthalates in the food may originate from environmental sources, in addition to the packaging. This evidence is outlined below.

The concentrations of the phthalates in some foods were greater than the concentrations that would occur even if all of the DBP and DEHP migrated from the packaging into the food. Also, the two phthalates would be expected to transfer at about the same rate but this was not the case for many of the samples. When the samples of fat were analysed, the concentrations of DBP and DEHP were determined at the core and at the surface. The concentration of phthalates would be expected to be lower in the core than at the surface if migration from the packaging is the major source of contamination. In over half of the samples, the concentrations of the phthalates at the core was roughly equal to or higher than the concentrations found at the surface which is in close proximity to the packaging. These results suggest that the DBP and DEHP in the foods originate from additional environmental sources.

The levels of DBP and DEHP found in the foods were generally low. Even if an individual consumed extreme amounts of the foods containing the highest levels of DBP and DEHP, their intakes of phthalates from these foods would be well below the respective TDIs. However, MAFF officials will be discussing the results of the survey with industry to ensure that contamination of food due to migration of phthalates from the paper and board is as low as possible.

Foods packaged in paper and board make up a relatively small portion of the total foods available to the consumer. MAFF is carrying out a more detailed survey of all foods, which will provide a more accurate estimate of the total intakes of phthalates in the average diet. The survey will identify the types of phthalates present in the foods containing the highest levels of these phthalates and this information may indicate the source of this contamination. The results of the survey will be released in the Food Safety Information Bulletin once the survey has been completed.

Contact point

For further information, please contact:

Dr D Watson
MAFF, Food Safety and Science Group
Additives and Novel Foods Division
Room 212, Ergon House,
c/o Nobel House
17 Smith Square
LONDON
SW1P 3JR

Tel: +44 (0)20 7238 6225

Fax: (+44) (0)20 7238 5331

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These pages were last updated on 1 October 1996