Abstract
The current study evaluates the migration of benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, xylene (BTEX) and phthalates into artificial saliva from natural rubber latex (NRL) balloons available for sale in Sri Lanka. It was discovered that at least one BTEX compound migrated from almost all the brands. The migration of four phthalates; diethyl phthalate, dibutyl phthalate, di-isobutyl phthalate and butyl benzyl phthalate were also observed. Migratory levels of BTEX and phthalates in most of the balloon brands were above the permissible levels set by the European Union. Assessment of factors affecting the migratory levels indicated migration under active mouthing conditions and migration from the neck region of the balloons were significantly higher. The migratory levels were observed to decrease with storage time, and in certain brands the BTEX levels decreased below the permissible level. One-way ANOVA indicated no significant differences (p ≥ 0.05) in migratory levels of each individual compound within the same brand for both BTEX and phthalates. When compared among different brands, BTEX levels indicated significant differences (p ≤ 0.05), while phthalate levels were observed to not be significantly different (p ≥ 0.05). A significant difference was also observed (p ≤ 0.05) among the migratory levels of compounds under each test condition evaluated as factors affecting the migratory level. Furthermore, the solvent based colorants added to color the latex were found to be the source of BTEX and phthalates in the NRL balloons.
Highlights
Hazardous compounds present in various consumer goods have come to light as a result of recent studies
The results further indicated that imported balloon brands were likely to have five or six hazardous compounds migrating from them at a given instance
The BTEX and phthalate levels migrating from most of the balloon brands were higher than the permissible levels set by the European Union (EU)
Summary
Hazardous compounds present in various consumer goods have come to light as a result of recent studies. A very limited number of studies have assessed the fate of these compounds once they enter the body (Brandon et al 2006; Dennison et al 2005). This creates a need for a migration study using a saliva. Phthalates are able to cause damage to the reproductive systems (Swan 2008) and are identified as endocrine disruptors. They have shown teratogenicity, liver and kidney malformations leading to tumors, fetal death, and low birth weights in animal
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