Abstract
The chemical commonly called Bisphenol-A (BPA) has been widely adopted for its uses in the plastic industry. BPA is a monomer in Polycarbonate (PC) plastics, a plastic which is used in products like drinking bottles, dental sealants and can linings. BPA is estrogenic in nature and is also classes as an endocrine disruptor. Recently many studies have been conducted to determine the affect of BPA on humans and other mammals, however the leaching of BPA is still an area of uncertainty. BPA has been shown to increase leaching under alkaline conditions, as plastic ages and at higher temperatures. The purpose of this study was to determine what quantity of BPA leaches from PC drinking bottles and how the rate of leaching is related to the temperature of the external environment. Samples were exposed at low and high temperatures, and the resulting solution was analyzed using Liquid Chromatography/ Mass Spectrometry (LC/MS). Significant leaching of BPA (20.4ppb) was recorded at high temperatures, while less leaching was observed at low temperatures (110ppt). Both of these values fall bellow the standard safety levels, however effects on cellular activity have been recorded at these concentrations. BPA was also found in the control, which questions to results that were obtained. To ensure the validity of the results further experimentation is called for.
