Bisphenol A Is Released from Used Polycarbonate Animal Cages into Water at Room Temperature
2007. 8. 6. 16:59
Bisphenol A Is Released from Used Polycarbonate Animal Cages into Water at Room Temperature
Kembra L. Howdeshell et al. Environmental Health Perspectives, Vol. 111, 2003
Abstract
Bisphenol A (BPA) is a monomer with estrogenic activity that is used in the production of food packaging, dental sealants, polycarbonate plastic, and many other products. The monomer has previously been reported to hydrolyze and leach from these products under high heat and alkaline conditions, and the amount of leaching increases as a function of use. We examined whether new and used polycarbonate animal cages passively release bioactive levels of BPA into water at room temperature and neutral pH. Purified water was incubated at room temperature in new polycarbonate and polysulfone cages and used (discolored) polycarbonate cages, as well as control (glass and used polypropylene) containers. The resulting water samples were characterized with gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) and tested for estrogenic activity using an MCF-7 human breast cancer cell proliferation assay. Significant estrogenic activity, identifiable as BPA by GC/MS (up to 310 [micro]g/L), was released from used polycarbonate animal cages. Detectable levels of BPA were released from new polycarbonate cages (up to 0.3 [micro]g/L) as well as new polysulfone cages (1.5 [micro]g/L), whereas no BPA was detected in water incubated in glass and used polypropylene cages. Finally, BPA exposure as a result of being housed in used polycarbonate cages produced a 16% increase in uterine weight in prepubertal female mice relative to females housed in used polypropylene cages, although the difference was not statistically significant. Our findings suggest that laboratory animals maintained in polycarbonate and polysulfone cages are exposed to BPA via leaching, with exposure reaching the highest levels in old cages.
Key words: animal caging, bisphenol A, endocrine disruptor, estrogen, leaching, polycarbonate, polysulfone.
요약하자면,
가혹조건에서 실험하지 않고, 중성 pH와 상온에서의 증류수에서 polycarbonate 재질의 cage를 두었을때 0.3 ug/l 만큼의 bisphenol-A가 방출되었다는 이야기. 즉 polycarbonate는 상온에서도 꾸준히(?) 환경호르몬을 내뿜고 있다는 뜻이다.
그에 반해 유리와 폴리프로필렌 재질의 cage는 전혀 방출하지 않았다. 당연한 말이다.
아기 젖병을 비롯해서 우리 주변에 polycarbonate 재질의 많은 물병이 유통되고 있지만, 이런 플라스틱에서 지속적으로 독성 환경호르몬이 방출되고 있다는 사실을 사람들은 잘 모른다. 추측컨데 대부분의 플라스틱 용기가 이러한 안전성 면에서 자유롭지 않을 것이다.
Kembra L. Howdeshell et al. Environmental Health Perspectives, Vol. 111, 2003
Abstract
Bisphenol A (BPA) is a monomer with estrogenic activity that is used in the production of food packaging, dental sealants, polycarbonate plastic, and many other products. The monomer has previously been reported to hydrolyze and leach from these products under high heat and alkaline conditions, and the amount of leaching increases as a function of use. We examined whether new and used polycarbonate animal cages passively release bioactive levels of BPA into water at room temperature and neutral pH. Purified water was incubated at room temperature in new polycarbonate and polysulfone cages and used (discolored) polycarbonate cages, as well as control (glass and used polypropylene) containers. The resulting water samples were characterized with gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) and tested for estrogenic activity using an MCF-7 human breast cancer cell proliferation assay. Significant estrogenic activity, identifiable as BPA by GC/MS (up to 310 [micro]g/L), was released from used polycarbonate animal cages. Detectable levels of BPA were released from new polycarbonate cages (up to 0.3 [micro]g/L) as well as new polysulfone cages (1.5 [micro]g/L), whereas no BPA was detected in water incubated in glass and used polypropylene cages. Finally, BPA exposure as a result of being housed in used polycarbonate cages produced a 16% increase in uterine weight in prepubertal female mice relative to females housed in used polypropylene cages, although the difference was not statistically significant. Our findings suggest that laboratory animals maintained in polycarbonate and polysulfone cages are exposed to BPA via leaching, with exposure reaching the highest levels in old cages.
Key words: animal caging, bisphenol A, endocrine disruptor, estrogen, leaching, polycarbonate, polysulfone.
요약하자면,
가혹조건에서 실험하지 않고, 중성 pH와 상온에서의 증류수에서 polycarbonate 재질의 cage를 두었을때 0.3 ug/l 만큼의 bisphenol-A가 방출되었다는 이야기. 즉 polycarbonate는 상온에서도 꾸준히(?) 환경호르몬을 내뿜고 있다는 뜻이다.
그에 반해 유리와 폴리프로필렌 재질의 cage는 전혀 방출하지 않았다. 당연한 말이다.
아기 젖병을 비롯해서 우리 주변에 polycarbonate 재질의 많은 물병이 유통되고 있지만, 이런 플라스틱에서 지속적으로 독성 환경호르몬이 방출되고 있다는 사실을 사람들은 잘 모른다. 추측컨데 대부분의 플라스틱 용기가 이러한 안전성 면에서 자유롭지 않을 것이다.
