# Evaluation of the Occurrence of Phthalates in Plastic Materials Used in Food Packaging
###### Abstract  
Phthalates are multifunctional synthetic chemicals found in a wide array of consumer and industrial products, mainly used to improve the mechanical properties of plastics, giving them flexibility and softness. In the European Union, phthalates are prohibited at levels greater than 0.1% by weight in most food packaging. In the current study, headspace solid-phase microextraction (HS-SPME) combined with gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) was optimized, through the multivariate optimization process, and validated to evaluate the occurrence of four common phthalates, di-iso-butyl phthalate (DIBP), butyl-benzyl phthalate (BBP), di-n-octyl phthalate (DOP), and 2,2,4,4-tetrabromodiphenyl (BDE), in different food packaging. The best extraction efficiency was achieved using the polydimethylsiloxane/divinylbenzene (PDMS/DVB) fiber at 80 \({}^{\circ}\)C for 30 min. The validated method showed good linearity, precision (RSD \(<\) 13%), and recoveries (90.2 to 111%). The limit of detection (LOD) and of quantification (LQO) ranged from 0.03 to 0.08 ug/L and from 0.10 to 0.24 ug/L, respectively. On average, the phthalates concentration varied largely among the assayed food packaging. DIBP was the most predominant phthalate in terms of occurrence (71.4% of analyzed simples) and concentration (from 3.61 to 10.7 ug/L). BBP was quantified in only one sample and BDE was detected in trace amounts (<LOQ) in only two samples. phthalates; food packaging; HS-SPME/GC-qMS optimization; validation +
Footnote †: journal: Applied  
0000-0001-6000-0001-6000]C. [PERSON]  
0000  
polyvinyl acetate (PVA), polyvinylidene chloride (PVDC), and different mixes to improve their plasticizer properties such as the incorporation of bisphenol A, used as a structural constituent, and phthalic acid-derived esters (phthalates) [1; 2; 3]. The occurrence of phthalates has been documented in different parts of the environment including surface water, sediments, soils, and the atmosphere, in addition to plastic materials used in food packaging [4; 5], which are the most important human exposure pathway for phthalates, followed by inhalation of indoor air and ingestion of dust [6]. The European Union regulates the maximum content of these compounds in plastics that are in contact with all types of food (Commission Regulation (EU) No 10/2011 of 14 January 2011) and the management of packaging and packaging waste (Directive (EU) 2018/852 is the last amendment of Directive 94/62/EC). The presence of phthalates in both the environment and food packages is an issue of special concern, not only from a health point of view, regarding their role as endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) and their action on reducing testosterone production and changing thyroid function [7], but also due their ecological effects. Cardiovascular diseases, dysplasia, and reproductive system malformations are some of the other adverse effects associated with phthalates according to reports in several toxicity studies [8; 9]. Moreover, prenatal exposure to some phthalates is linked to a male genital condition, which may increase the risk of testicular and prostate cancer, and lower fertility [10]. According to [PERSON] et al. 's studies [11], phthalates affect brain development and are associated with learning and behavior problems in children. The determination of these compounds in different samples is challenging and demanded urgently for environmental and health risk assessment. The extraction procedure is the main key point of previous phthalates analyses. Extraction of phthalates in samples often employs microwave [12], Soxhlet [13], and ultrasonic techniques [14] prior to GC-MS analysis. The improvement of these procedures is followed by a pre-concentrating step, increasing phthalates detection.