Replacement in Progress: Ethnoarchaeological Insights on Disappearing Pottery in Favour of Metal, Glass, and Plastic Containers in Lower Casamance, Senegal (Twentieth–Twenty-first Century AD)

Valid exposure assessment and biomonitoring of toxicants rely on standardized specimen collection, handling, storage, and measurement. In a study designed to determine organochlorine concentrations in blood samples, we recruited participants from registered anglers in Michigan. After participants were interviewed, blood was collected from study subjects, either at home by a phlebotomist or in a commercial blood-draw station. The phlebotomists stored their samples in glass containers, but without our knowledge, the commercial laboratory transferred the specimens to plastic containers for freezing in its central facility. Samples were analyzed in the Analytical Chemistry Section Laboratory of the Michigan Department of Community Health. This laboratory also provided information on storage in glass (n = 28) versus plastic containers (n = 113). We conducted linear regression analyses to assess factors that may explain the concentrations of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), dichlorodiphenyldichloroethylene (DDE), and polybrominated biphenyls (PBBs). Our results indicate that storage of serum in plastic containers altered the total concentrations of PCBs, in particular, the higher chlorinated PCBs (PCB-180 and PCB-199), but not DDE or PBBs. No other characteristics of the samples could explain the higher PCB values (0.75 micro g/L vs. 0.45 micro g/L; p = 0.025) of those stored in plastic containers. The proportion of PCB detects in both subsamples did not differ. Some preceding studies have provided information on whether specimens were stored in glass or plastic containers; however, a number of studies have not. We suggest the initiation of a new review process to determine whether these earlier reports were based on unbiased PCB determinations. We recommend standardizing specimen collection, handling, storage, and measurement, which is particularly necessary for newly emerging analytes.

To optimize cancer chemotherapy, a considerable amount of research has been expended to study pharmacologic, pharmacokinetic, biochemical, and pharmaceutic properties of antineoplastic agents. However, published data on the stability and compatibility of these agents in various administration fluids and containers are few in number. Evidence of a significant decrease in stability as shown by high-performance liquid chromatography has been reported when bleomycin was infused in plastic containers for prolonged periods (over 24 hours) as compared with the same procedure with glass containers. Because administration of bleomycin is usually given as a continuous infusion, we undertook this study to determine whether the drug loss of stability that occurs in plastic containers results in a therapeutic loss of efficacy (cytotoxicity). By using a tumor stem-cell assay we compared the quantitative effects of bleomycin in plastic and glass containers on cell lethality. The results from our assay showed no significant difference in cell lethality by bleomycin from its aqueous solution stored in glass and plastic containers over the time periods observed. If these results had been statistically significant, the tumor stem-cell assay may have been shown to be a more sensitive means of determining the clinical significance of these stability studies.

The stability of methotrexate, fluorouracil, cytarabine, dactinomycin, doxorubicin, bleomycin sulfate, mitomycin, mithramycin, vincristine sulfate, vinblastine sulfate, cyclophosphamide, dacarbazine, carmustine, and leucovorin calcium in underfilled plastic and glass administration containers was determined. Drugs were reconstituted according to manufacturers' instructions and added to 5% dextrose injection 50 ml in both polyvinyl chloride bags and glass partial-fill bottles. In addition, mitomycin was added to 0.9% sodium chloride injection 50 ml in both polyvinyl chloride bags and glass partial-fill bottles. All admixtures were stored at room temperature, not protected from light. Stability was determined over 24 hours (48 hours for doxorubicin and fluorouracil) by high-pressure liquid chromatography, except for cyclophosphamide (analyzed by mass spectrometry) and carmustine (analyzed by spectrophotometry). Methotrexate, leucovorin calcium, cytarabine, dactinomycin, mithramycin, vinblastine sulfate, cyclophosphamide, and dacarbazine were equally stable (10% or less change in concentration over 24 hours) in glass and plastic containers. Doxorubicin and fluorouracil were more stable in plastic containers than glass containers. The T90 value for doxorubicin in glass was 40 hours; there was no apparent decrease in plastic even after 48 hours. The T90 value for fluorouracil in glass was seven hours and in plastic, 43 hours. Vincristine sulfate, bleomycin sulfate, and carmustine were more stable in glass than plastic. The T90 value for vincristine sulfate in plastic was 10 hours. The T90 value for bleomycin sulfate in plastic was 0.7 hour. The T90 value for carmustine in plastic was 0.6 hour. Mitomycin dissolved in 0.9% sodium chloride injection was more stable in plastic. Mitomycin dissolved in 5% dextrose injection was not stable. Carmustine and bleomycin sulfate should be administered only in glass containers. Continuous infusions of doxorubicin and fluorouracil are more completely delivered from plastic containers. Mitomycin should not be dissolved in 5% dextrose injection.

Container effects on the physicochemical properties of parenteral lipid emulsions

THE PACKAGING MATERIALS INDUSTRY is probably one of the most challenging for an analyst to study. Composed of many companies, it includes some of the blue chips of American industry. New developments and changes are taking place daily that can alter greatly the fortunes of the companies within the industry. Competitiveness in packaging has accelerated in recent years. Diversified corporations such as American Can, Continental Can and Owens-Illinois each have several divisions which produce varied types of packaging. In many instances, divisions vie for the same markets. Customer demand for outstanding packaging innovation has increased competition and spurred the rapid development of newer and better packaging materials. The rigid container segment of the packaging industry, an important factor in consumer goods, has held my attention for many years. The battle between the glass container and its long time foe, the metal can, has been impressive. A third adversary, the rigid plastic container, has initiated a challenge to both glass and metal containers. The next decade will probably see the industry moving at so rapid a pace, that it will be extremely difficult to keep abreast of it. Consideration of the varied developments that have taken place in recent years and the trends that are currently under way should aid us in distinguishing the areas which offer the greatest opportunity for investment. The analyst, to gain an objective appraisal of this multi-faceted industry, as with any particular company, must learn what factors are of greatest influence and to what degree these factors will affect future results. The markets served, the pace of expansion or contraction, motivation for particular trends, competitive materials, the product or company with the largest share, and the reasons for any hold on a market are paramount in any appraisal. Some of us can still remember when automotive motor oil was sold in narrow neck glass containers. The development of a convenient pouring spout for metal cans was one of the major factors influencing the switch to metal containers in the post-war era. More recently, aluminum cans have gained acceptance. In the past three years, the composite fiber foil can has made significant strides, and will be in direct and fierce competition with the most recent entry, the plastic container. Thus, in a span of thirty years, we have had five different containers for the automotive oil market alone. Over the next thirty years, changes in packaging materials will be accelerated as manufacturers demand better, lower cost containers, and apply greater emphasis on containers as advertising mediums to merchandise products.

Setiap tahun terdapat 39 juta bayi baru lahir beresiko memiliki kapasitas intelektual rendah akibat defisiensi yodium. Terdapat 5% ibu hamil yang kadar TSH dan TPO-Abnya meningkat. Konsekuensi defisiensi yodium dapat dihindari jika pada saat hamil ibu sejak awal mengkonsumsi yodium secara adekuat. Sumber yodium yang tersedia dan cukup murah adalah garam yang difortifikasi yodium. Namun, waktu penyimpanan, kondisi penyimpanan, dan jenis garam berpengaruh terhadap penurunan kandungan yodium dalam garam beryodium. Tujuan penelitian untuk mengetahui kandungan iodium pada garam beryodium dengan berbagai wadah penyimpanan selama penyimpanan 6 hari. Jenis penelitian ini merupakan penelitian deskriptif. Sampel garam diambil secara acak di toko kelontong dengan merk dagang yang paling banyak digunakan konsumen di kota Palu dan sekitarnya. Wadah yang digunakan adalah wadah plastik dan wadah kaca. Setiap wadah dibagi dua, ada wadah transparan dan ada wadah yang tidak transparan (dibungkus). Penyimpanan dilakukan selama 6 hari dengan analisa kandungan yodium garam dilakukan pada hari ke 0, hari ke-2, hari ke-4 dan hari ke-6. Hasil penelitian menunjukan bahwa baik wadah plastik maupun wadah kaca, terdapat penurunan kandungan yodium. Rata-rata persentase penurunan kandungan yodium terbesar terjadi pada penyimpanan dalam wadah plastik dan kaca yang transparan (9,49% dan 4,75%). Sedangkan pada wadah yang tidak transparan rata-rata penurunan kandungan yodiumnya sebesar 4,99% pada wadah plastik dan 3,18 % pada wadah kaca. Persentase penurunan kandungan yodium terbesar setiap dua hari penyimpanan terdapat pada garam yang disimpan dalam wadah plastik transparan yakni rata-rata sebesar 4,77%. Kesimpulan; Penyimpanan garam beryodium yang terbaik adalah dalam wadah kaca yang tidak transparan

Every year there are 39 million of infant newborn at risk of being born with low intellectual capacity due to iodine deficiency. Meanwhile, there are 5 percen of pregnant women who have increased TSH and TPO-Ab level.The consequences of Iodine deficiency can be prevented if pregnant women in adequate iodine intake early. Abundant and inexpensive source of iodine is salt iodization. Unfortunatelly, iodine concentration in salt iodization can be decreased due to time and conditions of storage, and type of salt. The aim of this study is to determine iodine content in Salt iodization that stored in different containers for six days of storage. The type of study was descriptive study. Sample is salt iodization were obtained from the grocery store by taking randomly and brands that are widely used in Palu city and its surroundings. Storage container of salt iodization consist of two namely plastic and glass jar. Each container consist of transparent and non transparent jars. Storage of sample is carried out for six days and analysis of iodine content was carried out on day 0, day 2, day 4 and day 6 of storage. The result of study showed that both glass and plastic container decreased iodium content in salt. The largest median of percentage reduction in iodine content occurred in transparent plastic and glass container, in 9,49 and 4,74% respectively. However, median of percentage reduction in non-transparent plastic and glass container, in 4,99 and 3,18%, respectively. For 2 days of storage, the largest median of percentage reduction in iodine content found in transparent plastic container which is 4,77%. Conclusion: The best storage of iodization salt is it in non-transparent container.

Influence of the glass packing on the contamination of pharmaceutical products by aluminum. Part I: Salts, glucose, heparin and albumin

The study was based on surveying ten samples of Sudanese white cheese packaged in two different containers (plastic and metal), collected from different supermarkets in Khartoum state. The comparison of chemical composition and microbial count was done. The experimental results showed that the average ash content, moisture, acidity, pH, and total solid content means were 7.00 ± 2.73, 45.00 ± 4.81, 0.85 ± 0.12, 5.72 ± 0.25 and 45.00 ± 10.63%, respectively for cheese samples packaged in plastic containers while for samples packaged in metal containers, the values were 5.50 ± 1.11, 52.06 ± 9.18, 1.85 ± 0.41, 5.06 ± 0.33 and 55.00 ± 9.35% for ash content, moisture, acidity, pH, and total solid content, respectively. The average chemical properties showed significant differences between the samples packaged in the two types of containers (P ≤ 0.05). The logarithm counts of total bacteria, yeasts and moulds for the samples packaged in plastic containers were found to be 8.86 ± 4.80 and 0.12 ± 0.16, respectively. On the other hand, the logarithm counts of total bacteria, yeasts and moulds for the samples packaged in metal containers were found to be 13.86 ± 3.61 and 015 ± 0.09, respectively. A clear significant differences between the samples packaged in the two types of containers (P ≤ 0.05) was found. There was no significant correlation between the total bacteria counts and the moisture content of the samples packaged in plastic and metal containers (P ≤ 0.05). The total bacterial count of the samples packaged in plastic and metal containers showed significant correlation to the pH value of the cheese samples collected from the supermarket (P ≤ 0.05).   Key words: Sudanese white cheese, average ash content, microbial count, moisture.

Cemeteries are ideal urban areas to study the importance of different types of containers as breeding sites of Aedes aegypti (L.). In the present study, the suitability of plastic, glass, ceramic and metal containers was evaluated in four patches within a cemetery of Buenos Aires City, Argentina. Between October 1998 and May 2000, we found 215 breeding sites of Ae. aegypti out of 13,022 water-filled containers examined. In two patches containing microenvironments sheltered from the sun, the use of the different types of containers was proportional to the offer (correlation coefficient = 0.99, P < 0.05 in both cases). In the remaining patches, plastic and metal containers were the most and less frequent breeding sites, respectively (P < 0.001 in both cases). The number of immatures per breeding site (median = 4.5) did not show significant differences among the four types of containers examined (H3, 215 = 1.216, P = 0.749). Differences found in patches from a same cemetery suggest that different microenvironmental conditions affect the suitability of each type of container for Ae. aegypti breeding. Plastic containers appeared as key breeding sites that should be removed to reduce the Ae. aegypti population in the study area.

Cooking copepods: The survival of cyclopoid copepods (Crustacea: Copepoda) in simulated provisioned water containers and implications for the Guinea Worm Eradication Program in Chad, Africa

Semen analysis is a key element in the evaluation of the infertile couple. Because the type of container used for collection of the specimen may be important, we compared the effects of glass versus plastic containers on sperm motility. Ten semen specimens collected in clean glass jars were subdivided into four aliquots, two into glass containers and two into sterile plastic urine cups, and sperm motility was evaluated. During the first 60 minutes of observation, no significant differences in motility were noted between sperm held in glass and sperm held in plastic containers. After 60 minutes, however, sperm motility was significantly less in semen held in plastic containers. Plastic containers may adversely affect sperm motility; glass containers are therefore recommended for routine collection of samples for semen analysis. If plastic containers must be used, they should be evaluated thoroughly for their potential effects on semen quality.

Recently, there has been a transition from glass to plastic injection containers in Japan. In our previous study, we suggested that plastic containers had less impurity contamination than glass containers. However, the use of some plasticizers has been limited because of their endocrine disrupting effects. Therefore, contamination has been a concern due to chemicals in injection solution packed with plastic containers. Indeed, in our recent study, photoinitiators were detected in an injection solution coming from plastic containers. Photoinitiators mainly exist in ink. We therefore speculated that ink originating from a photoinitiator directly printing on plastic containers had migrated into the injection solutions. In a clinical setting, plastic containers are very tractable because they are lightweight and less breakable. On the other hand, from a safety view point, these containers may be hazardous because of permeation by steam, ambient air or photoinitiators. In the present symposium, we will discuss the risk of photoinitiators leaking into injection solution packed with plastic containers, and countermeasures to avoid this risk.

THE APPLICATION OF PLASTIC CONTAINERS FOR PACKING AND PASTEURIZING MEAT OF THE BLUE CRAB (CALLINECTES SAPIDUS)

This study was performed to evaluate changes in physicochemical and sensory attributes of olive oil stored in different packaging materials for up to 60 days. The olive oil samples from a local company (Ajlon-Jordan) were stored in containers made from glass, tinplate, and plastic for two months at 25℃ with quality attributes analyzed at selected time intervals. The results showed that as time increased from 0 to 60 days the acidity and peroxide values (PV) of the oil increased while antioxidant activities, total phenolics, and sensory attributes decreased. The samples in the glass container exhibited the lowest acidity (1.25% to 1.53%) and PV (6.13 to 7.17 milliequivalents meq/kg) values followed by those stored in the plastic and tinplate containers. The lowest antioxidant activities and total phenolics values were recorded in oil from the tinplate container while no significant difference (p≤0.05) was found for samples in the glass and plastic containers. The oil in the tinplate container had the highest values of sedimentation (0.17%). The glass container provided the best protection to oil