Abstract
Phthalates are widely used plasticizers that can cause endocrine disruption, mutagenicity, and carcinogenic effects and can contaminate food through various pathways. Investigations are scanty on phthalate pollution of livestock and poultry meat and their dietary exposure to humans. The present study assessed residual levels of phthalates in unpackaged pork (30 samples) and unpackaged chicken (30 samples) and their relevance to meat consumption and health risks in the Taiwanese population. Phthalate quantity was assessed by liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry; the materials included diisononyl phthalate, diisodecyl phthalate, benzyl butyl phthalate, di-2-ethylhexyl phthalate (DEHP), and di-n-butyl phthalate. The Taiwan Food and Drug Administration (TFDA) has established values of tolerable daily intake (TDI) for the five phthalates. The major compound detected was DEHP, which ranged from 0.62 to 0.80 mg/kg in two pork samples, and 0.42–0.45 mg/kg in three chicken samples. Collectively, 8.33% of the phthalate-residue-containing samples tested positive for DEHP. The concentrations of DEHP were lower than the screening value of 1.0 mg/kg, as defined by the TFDA. Health risk was calculated as the estimated daily intake (DI) for any likely adverse effects; the DI of DEHP residues was <1% of the TDI value. The estimated risk was insignificant and considered to be safe, indicating that there is no risk to the health of Taiwanese population due to meat consumption. However, it is suggested that a phthalate monitoring program in meat should be instituted for any possible effects in future on human health.
Highlights
IntroductionPhthalates are common nonreactive plasticizers and are used in many industrial plastics (e.g., polyvinyl chloride and polyvinylidene chloride materials), household products (e.g., paints and glues), personal hygiene products (e.g., cosmetics, lotions, and perfumes), and medical devices to improve the stretchability, workability, and flexibility of such products [1]
Phthalates are common nonreactive plasticizers and are used in many industrial plastics, household products, personal hygiene products, and medical devices to improve the stretchability, workability, and flexibility of such products [1]
The recoveries of benzyl butyl phthalate (BBP), di-n-butyl phthalate (DBP), di-2-ethylhexyl phthalate (DEHP), diisodecyl phthalate (DIDP), and diisononyl phthalate (DINP) spiking in the pork samples were 98.3%–99.8%, 98.7%–103.2%, 97.8%–101.3%, 99.5%–102.1%, and 98.2%–99.7%, respectively
Summary
Phthalates are common nonreactive plasticizers and are used in many industrial plastics (e.g., polyvinyl chloride and polyvinylidene chloride materials), household products (e.g., paints and glues), personal hygiene products (e.g., cosmetics, lotions, and perfumes), and medical devices to improve the stretchability, workability, and flexibility of such products [1]. The worldwide production of phthalates grew from 6.2 million tons in 2009 to over 8 million tons in 2011 because of their versatility [2]. Phthalates tend to leach readily and are considered common contaminants of the environment and food. The most common phthalates, including benzyl butyl phthalate (BBP), diethyl phthalate (DEP), dimethyl phthalate (DMP), di-2-ethylhexyl phthalate (DEHP), di-n-butyl phthalate (DBP), and di-n-octyl phthalate (DNOP) are widely associated with the production, use, and disposal of food [3]. Phthalates have been prohibited as food additives in the United
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