Quantities of bisphenol A leached from plastic waste samples

To quantify the leaching of bisphenol A. into water, various samples of plastic waste were cut into small pieces, soaked in water for two weeks at room temperature in the dark, and the concentration of bisphenol A in the water determined by gas chromatography / mass spectrometry (GC/MS). The amount of bisphenol A leached from the plastic wastes ranged from undetectable to 139 mu g/g. The detection limit was 2 ng/g when 100 g of plastic waste was used. Polyvinyl chloride products yielded the highest concentrations because bisphenol A is used in its manufacture as a stabilizer. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.