Effect of common consumer washing methods on bisphenol A release in tritan drinking bottles

• Published in: Chemosphere (Oxford) 2021-08, Vol.277, p.130355-130355, Article 130355
• Main Authors: Holmes, Rebecca, Ma, Jianyong, Andra, Syam S., Wang, Hong-Sheng
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Benzhydryl Compounds; Bioactivity; Bisphenol A; BPA-Free; Cleaning; Contamination; Phenols; Plastic bottles; Plastics; Tandem Mass Spectrometry
• ISSN: 0045-6535; 1879-1298
• DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2021.130355

Bisphenol A (BPA)-free plastic products are widely available. Transient BPA release has been reported in Tritan drinking bottles. This study assessed the effectiveness of common consumer washing methods in removing BPA contamination in Tritan bottles using both ELISA and HPLC-MS/MS assays. BPA release was detected in 2 out of 10 kinds of Tritan drinking bottles tested. Average BPA level was 0.493 μg/L in water samples from a type of Tritan kid drinking bottle following 24-h incubation at room temperature, corresponding to a release rate of 0.015 ng/cm2/h. Of the common consumer cleaning methods identified in an informal survey, dishwashing was the most effective method that significantly reduced, even eliminated BPA release from the tested BPA-positive Tritan bottles, while rinsing with water and handwashing with soap and water were ineffective. The bioactivity of the leached BPA was confirmed using a rodent cardiac myocyte acute exposure model and an invertebrate 7-day exposure model. The BPA release is possibly the result of surface contamination in the manufacturing process. As a case study, our result may be informative for general consumer practice and for better quality control by the manufactures. •Transient BPA release from some Tritan drinking bottles was detected.•BPA release was likely due to surface contamination in the manufacturing process.•The released BPA was bioactive as assessed using two independent bioassays.•Effect of common consumer cleaning methods in removing BPA contamination was assessed.•Dishwashing, but not rinsing or handwashing, was effective in elimination BPA release.