Presentation Type
Thesis
Department
Chemistry
Location
Walker Conference Center A
Description
Bisphenol-A, better known as BPA, is a carcinogenic compound found in many plastic-containing products due to its ability to add rigidity and strength to the plastic. However, BPA has been found in a wide variety of products not traditionally thought of as “plastic” including feminine hygiene products, printer receipts, and even clothing. Clothing containing a polyester/spandex blend, common in athletic wear, contains BPA, whereas traditional cotton clothing does not. Using flourospectroscopy, the presence of BPA in these types of clothing was confirmed, as well as measured over time. Strips of clothing containing polyester and spandex blends were submerged in a 50%/50% Methanol/Water solution for varying amounts of time, allowing for BPA to seep out of the material. At specific increments, the solution was then assessed for BPA presence using flourospectroscopy, showing both a presence of BPA in these clothing products and an increase in free-BPA over time. This indicates possible dermal exposure to BPA through clothing (which is traditionally excluded from human BPA exposure analysis) as well as environmental exposure through clothing discarded in landfills.
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Why Your Clothes Could be Killing You: The Detection of BPA in Clothing Using Fluorescence Spectrophotometry
Walker Conference Center A
Bisphenol-A, better known as BPA, is a carcinogenic compound found in many plastic-containing products due to its ability to add rigidity and strength to the plastic. However, BPA has been found in a wide variety of products not traditionally thought of as “plastic” including feminine hygiene products, printer receipts, and even clothing. Clothing containing a polyester/spandex blend, common in athletic wear, contains BPA, whereas traditional cotton clothing does not. Using flourospectroscopy, the presence of BPA in these types of clothing was confirmed, as well as measured over time. Strips of clothing containing polyester and spandex blends were submerged in a 50%/50% Methanol/Water solution for varying amounts of time, allowing for BPA to seep out of the material. At specific increments, the solution was then assessed for BPA presence using flourospectroscopy, showing both a presence of BPA in these clothing products and an increase in free-BPA over time. This indicates possible dermal exposure to BPA through clothing (which is traditionally excluded from human BPA exposure analysis) as well as environmental exposure through clothing discarded in landfills.