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Evaluation of chemicals leached from PET and recycled PET containers into beverages

  • Katie G. Steimel EMAIL logo , Ruth Hwang , Dan Dinh , Melinda T. Donnell , Sharlee More und Ernest Fung
Veröffentlicht/Copyright: 15. Dezember 2022
Reviews on Environmental Health
Aus der Zeitschrift Reviews on Environmental Health Band 39 Heft 2

Abstract

The use of recycled polyethylene terephthalate (rPET) containers, a recent shift in the beverage industry, poses new potential human health concerns including contamination from the original container; use of additives, detergents, and catalysts during recycling; and improper recycling practices. The purpose of this analysis was to evaluate available data regarding: (1) chemicals leached from PET and rPET in bottle form; (2) concentration of these chemicals; and (3) trends between rPET percent and concentration of chemicals leached. This analysis identified 211 scientific articles related to recycled plastic and leachables. Three articles met the inclusion criteria: (1) plastic was in bottle form; (2) plastic was made of PET or rPET; and (3) the study analyzed both PET and rPET using the same methods. This evaluation demonstrated that only nine compounds – benzene, styrene, acetaldehyde, 2-methyl-1,3-dioxolane, furan, bisphenol A (BPA), 2-buta-none, acetone, and limonene – have been studied. Notably, the leachable concentration of benzene, styrene, and BPA increased as the percent of recycled content increased from 0 to 100%. However, 2-methyl-1,3-dioxolane and furan implied a reverse trend, where the leachable concentration decreased as the percent of recycled content increased from 0 to 100%. The concentrations of 2-butanone, acetone, and limonene did not follow any suggested trend. Evidently, recycling PET can lead to changes in the leachables profile. This analysis further identified key areas of research, including testing a variety of liquid types, that need to be addressed to adequately conduct a human health risk assessment.

Keywords: leachables; plastics; polyethylene terephthalate; recycling; rPET
Corresponding author: Katie Steimel, MS, Stantec (ChemRisk), Aliso Viejo, CA, USA, Fax: 425-869-1190, E-mail:

  1. Research funding: None declared.

  2. Author contributions: All authors have accepted respon-sibility for the entire content of this manuscript and approved its submission.

  3. Competing interests: All the authors are employed by Stantec (ChemRisk), a consulting firm that provides scientific advice to the government, corporations, law firms and various scientific/professional organizations. Authors state no conflict of interests.

  4. Informed consent: Not applicable.

  5. Ethical approval: Not applicable.

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Received: 2022-09-12
Accepted: 2022-11-16
Published Online: 2022-12-15
Published in Print: 2024-06-25

© 2022 Walter de Gruyter GmbH, Berlin/Boston

Artikel in diesem Heft

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  2. Reviews
  3. The lack of international and national health policies to protect persons with self-declared electromagnetic hypersensitivity
  4. The use of micronucleus assay in oral mucosa cells as a suitable biomarker in children exposed to environmental mutagens: theoretical concepts, guidelines and future directions
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  9. Evaluation of chemicals leached from PET and recycled PET containers into beverages
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  12. The impact of air pollution and climate change on eye health: a global review
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  14. Mechanisms of cholera transmission via environment in India and Bangladesh: state of the science review
  15. Effects of sulfur dioxide inhalation on human health: a review
  16. Health effects of alkaline, oxygenated, and demineralized water compared to mineral water among healthy population: a systematic review
  17. Toxic effects due to exposure heavy metals and increased health risk assessment (leukemia)
  18. A systematic review on environmental perspectives of monkeypox virus
  19. How does formal and informal industry contribute to lead exposure? A narrative review from Vietnam, Uruguay, and Malaysia
  20. Letter to the Editor
  21. Comments on “Personal protective equipment (PPE) and plastic pollution during COVID-19: strategies for a sustainable environment”, by Fatima Ali Mazahir and Ali Mazahir Al Qamari
https://doi.org/10.1515/reveh-2022-0183
Schlagwörter für diesen Artikel
leachables; plastics; polyethylene terephthalate; recycling; rPET

Artikel in diesem Heft

  1. Frontmatter
  2. Reviews
  3. The lack of international and national health policies to protect persons with self-declared electromagnetic hypersensitivity
  4. The use of micronucleus assay in oral mucosa cells as a suitable biomarker in children exposed to environmental mutagens: theoretical concepts, guidelines and future directions
  5. Improving the purification of aqueous solutions by controlling the production of reactive oxygen species in non-thermal plasma; a systematic review
  6. Ochratoxin A in coffee and coffee-based products: a global systematic review, meta-analysis, and probabilistic risk assessment
  7. Green space in health research: an overview of common indicators of greenness
  8. The effects of fine particulate matter on the blood-testis barrier and its potential mechanisms
  9. Evaluation of chemicals leached from PET and recycled PET containers into beverages
  10. The association between bisphenol a exposure and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder in children: a meta-analysis of observational studies
  11. A review on arsenic pollution, toxicity, health risks, and management strategies using nanoremediation approaches
  12. The impact of air pollution and climate change on eye health: a global review
  13. Exposure to Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons and adverse reproductive outcomes in women: current status and future perspectives
  14. Mechanisms of cholera transmission via environment in India and Bangladesh: state of the science review
  15. Effects of sulfur dioxide inhalation on human health: a review
  16. Health effects of alkaline, oxygenated, and demineralized water compared to mineral water among healthy population: a systematic review
  17. Toxic effects due to exposure heavy metals and increased health risk assessment (leukemia)
  18. A systematic review on environmental perspectives of monkeypox virus
  19. How does formal and informal industry contribute to lead exposure? A narrative review from Vietnam, Uruguay, and Malaysia
  20. Letter to the Editor
  21. Comments on “Personal protective equipment (PPE) and plastic pollution during COVID-19: strategies for a sustainable environment”, by Fatima Ali Mazahir and Ali Mazahir Al Qamari
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