Identification of unknown substances in polyvinyl chloride gloves containing non-phthalate plasticizers

Abstract

The use of polyvinyl chloride gloves containing di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate for food contact applications is restricted. In their place, polyvinyl chloride gloves containing non-phthalate plasticizers (PVC-NP) have been introduced. They contained unknown substances, so they were studied by GC/MS, HR-MS and NMR. The chemical structures of the unknown substances were confirmed to be diethylene glycol dibenzoate, triethylene glycol dibenzoate, dipropylene glycol dibenzoate, and alkylsulfonic acid phenyl ester, which are plasticizers. Including di-isononyl adipate, the contents of the plasticizers were 37.5-48.9% in the PVC-NP gloves, and their migration levels were 1,010-1,390 ppm into n-heptane. These are very high levels. These plasticizers are not widely used for food contact polyvinyl chloride throughout the world, and they have also not been registered as self-standards by Japanese manufacturers. Careful consideration will be necessary for the selection of a suitable plasticizer substitute.