Phthalates levels in cold-pressed oils marketed in Turkey

Estimation of exposure to phthalate esters from consumption of powdered infant formula sampled in Turkey

Phthalate esters (PAEs) adversely affect the human endocrine and reproductive systems. These chemical toxic compounds are used as plasticizers, in particular to improve the mechanical properties of different food packing materials. Daily food consumption is the predominant source of exposure for PAEs, especially for infants. In this study, residue profiles and levels for eight PAEs were determined in 30 infant (stage I, II and special A and B) formulas of 12 brands in Turkey and health risk assessments were performed. The average level of PAEs were different for each formula group and packing type except for BBP (p < 0.01). The highest average mean level of PAEs was detected in paperboard type packing, while the lowest average mean level of PAEs was detected in metal can type packing. The highest average level of PAEs detected was DEHP in special formulas (22.1 ng g^-1). The average hazard quotient (HQ) value was calculated as 8.43 × 10^-5-8.94 × 10^-5 for BBP, 1.49 × 10^-3-1.58 × 10^-3 for DBP, 2.06 × 10^-2-2.18 × 10^-2 for DEHP, and 7.21 × 10^-4-7.65 × 10^-4 for DINP. The average HI values were calculated as 2.29 × 10^-2 for 0-6 months old infants, 2.39 × 10^-2 for 6-12 months old infants, and 2.43 × 10^-2 for 12-36 months old infants. These calculated results show that commercial infant formulas were a source of exposure to PAEs but did not present a significant health risk.

Effect of Light on the Oxidative Stability and Phthalate Levels of Black Cumin Oil-Corn Oil Blends in Plastic and Glass Bottling

Black cumin oil (BC) contains certain phytochemicals, including phenolics, tocopherols, and sterols, which show strong oxidation stability. In this study, BC was blended with refined corn oil (CO) at two concentrations (5% and 10%, w/w) and stored in plastic and glass bottles under light and dark conditions. Under light-storage conditions, blended oils in plastic bottles showed lower peroxide value (PV) and conjugated diene value (CD) compared to the control sample than dark-storage. It was also aimed to examine the phthalate levels in oil samples and evaluate the products' safety. Five main phthalates, namely di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP), dibutyl phthalate (DBP), butyl-benzylphthalate (BBP), diisononyl phthalate (DiNP), and diisodecyl phthalate (DiDP), were evaluated. In dark and light storage conditions, the phthalate level was determined below the LOQ value in CO without added BCO in the plastic and glass bottles. In the plastic-packaged blended samples, DEHP was determined above the LOQ value in dark storage, while BBP was detected in addition to DEHP in the samples stored under the light. On the other hand, phthalate values were determined below the LOQ value in all samples stored in glass packages under the light. DEHP was the most abundant phthalate in plastic-packaged blended oils under light storage, ranging from below the LOQ (0.23 mg/kg) to 0.83 mg/kg. Based on the present findings, BC improved the stability of CO under light storage, and the phthalate levels of blended oils did not exceed the specific migration limits (SMLs) for each phthalate.

Di (2-ethyl-hexyl) phthalate disrupts placental growth in a dual blocking mode

Di (2-ethyl-hexyl) phthalate (DEHP) is a widely used plasticizer. Maternal DEHP exposure inhibits cell proliferation and reduces placentas size, which associates with fetal growth restriction and adulthood diseases. However, the mechanism of placental cell proliferation inhibition by DEHP remains elusive. This study investigated the effect of DEHP on placental cell proliferation from cell cycle arrest. Utilizing in vitro and in vivo experiments, we investigated cell cycle arrest, DNA double-strand break (DSB) repair, genotoxic stress response, and micronuclei formation. Most DEHP metabolizes to mono (2-Ethylhexyl) phthalate (MEHP) and distributes to organs quickly, so MEHP and DEHP were used in cultured cell and animal experiments, respectively. Here, a double blocking mode for the proliferation inhibition of the placental cell was revealed. One is that the classical DSB repair pathways were suppressed, which arrested the cell cycle at the G2/M phase. The other is that DEHP stimulated an elevated level of progesterone, which blocked the cell cycle at metaphase by disrupting chromosome arrangement. These two sets of events facilitated micronuclei formation and resulted in cell proliferation inhibition. This findings provide a novel mechanistic understanding for DEHP to inhibit placental cell proliferation.

The Impact of Di-Isononyl Phthalate Exposure on Specialized Epithelial Cells in the Colon

Di-isononyl phthalate (DiNP) is a high-molecular-weight phthalate commonly used as a plasticizer for polyvinyl chloride and other end products, such as medical devices and construction materials. Most of our initial exposure to DiNP occurs by ingestion of DiNP-contaminated foods. However, little is known about the effects of DiNP on the colon. Therefore, the goal of this study was to test the hypothesis that DiNP exposure alters immune responses and impacts specialized epithelial cells in the colon. To test this hypothesis, adult female mice were orally dosed with corn-oil vehicle control or doses of DiNP ranging from 20 µg/kg/d to 200 mg/kg/d for 10-14 days. After the dosing period, mice were euthanized in diestrus, and colon tissues and sera were collected for histological, genomic, and proteomic analysis of various immune factors and specialized epithelial cells. Subacute exposure to DiNP significantly increased protein levels of Ki67 and MUC2, expression of a Paneth cell marker (Lyz1), and estradiol levels in sera compared with control. Gene expression of mucins (Muc1, Muc2, Muc3a, and Muc4), Toll-like receptors (Tlr4 and Tlr5), and specialized epithelial cells (ChgA, Lgr5, Cd24a, and Vil1) were not significantly different between treatment groups and control. Cytokine levels of IL-1RA and CXCL12 were also not significantly different between DiNP treatment groups and control. These data reveal that DiNP exposure increases circulating estradiol levels and gene expression in specialized epithelial cells with immune response capabilities (eg, goblet and Paneth cells) in the mouse colon, which may initiate immune responses to prevent further damage in the colon.

The Assessment of the Sewage and Sludge Contamination by Phthalate Acid Esters (PAEs) in Eastern Europe Countries

Phthalate acid esters (PAEs) are widely used as raw materials for industries that are well known for their environmental contamination and toxicological effects as “endocrine disruptors”. The determining of PAE contamination was based on analysis of dimethyl phthalate (DMP), diethyl phthalate (DEP), dipropyl phthalate (DPP), dibutyl phthalate (DBP), diisobutyl phthalate (DiBP), dicyclohexyl phthalate (DCHP) and di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) in wastewater and sediment samples collected from city sewer systems of Lithuania and Poland, and Denmark for comparison. The potential PAE sources as well as their concentrations in the wastewater were analyzed and discussed. The intention of the study was to determine the level and key sources of pollution by phthalates in some Eastern European countries and to reveal the successful managerial actions to minimize PAEs taken by Denmark. Water and sludge samples were collected in 2019–2020 and analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. The highest contamination with phthalates in Lithuania can be attributed to DEHP: up to 63% of total PAEs in water samples and up to 94% of total PAEs in sludge samples, which are primarily used as additive compounds to plastics but do not react with them and are gradually released into the environment. However, in water samples in Poland, the highest concentration belonged to DMP—up to 210 μg/L, while the share of DEHP reached 15 μg/L. The concentrations of priority phthalate esters in the water samples reached up to 159 μg/L (DEHP) in Lithuania and up to 1.2 μg/L (DEHP) in Denmark. The biggest DEHP concentrations obtained in the sediment samples were 95 mg/kg in Lithuania and up to 6.6 mg/kg in Denmark. The dominant compounds of PAEs in water samples of Lithuania were DEHP > DEP > DiBP > DBP > DMP. DPP and DCHP concentrations were less than 0.05 μg/L. However, the distribution of PAEs in the water samples from Poland was as follows: DMP > DEHP > DEP > DBP, and DiBP, as well as DPP and DCHP, concentrations were less than 0.05 μg/L. Further studies are recommended for adequate monitoring of phthalates in wastewater and sludge in order to reduce or/and predict phthalates’ potential risk to hydrobiots and human health.

Phthalates levels in olive oils and olive pomace oils marketed in Turkey

Phthalates are used as additives and plasticisers in packaging for personal care and food products. Several investigations reported the harmful impact of phthalates on human health. In this study, different types of olive oils (12 olive oil; 20 extra virgin oil; 4 refined pomace oil) in different packaging materials [polyethylene terephthalate (PET), glass and metal] obtained from local markets in Turkey in 2019, were analysed using GC-MS for the presence of benzyl butyl phthalate (BBP), di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP), diisononyl phthalate (DINP), dibutyl phthalate (DBP), and diisodecyl phthalate (DIDP). The average recoveries of the 5 phthalates in olive oils were 87%-100%, with limits of quantification (LOQs) of 0.09-2.28 mg/kg. DEHP was the abundant phthalate in all olive oil samples ranging from below the LOQ (0.23 mg/kg) to 602 mg/kg. In all analysed samples, the levels of DINP and DIDP were less than their LOQ, thus these phthalates were not detected. The highest DEHP content was found in an olive oil sample containing 602 mg/kg, whilst 5 samples did not contain detectable phthalate esters.