Bisphenol-A Leaching Study from an Aluminum
Water Bottle
prepared for
Gaiam, Inc.
Louisville, CO
© Alliance Technologies, LLC 2008
732.355.1234 (ph)
R20080364_BPA.doc
CONFIDENTIAL
1 of 5
Alliance Technologies, LLC
1 Deer Park Drive, Suite D
Monmouth Junction, NJ 08852
732.355.1234 (ph) / 438.8265 (fx)
www.alliancetechgroup.com
R20080364_BPA.doc
CONFIDENTIAL
2 of 5
12 November 2008
Client:
Gaiam, Inc
833 W South Boulder Rd.
Louisville, CO 80027
Requestor: Caren Pomar
Study:
Bisphenol-A Leaching Study from an Aluminum Water Bottle
LIMS #:
20080364
BACKGROUND
Aluminum water bottles were submitted for the determination of leachable
Bisphenol-A (BPA) into reverse osmosis (RO) water. The bottle was filled with
water and heated in a temperature regulated chamber to accelerate the leaching
process. The exposed water was extracted, concentrated, and analyzed by gas
chromatography mass spectrometry (GCMS) for Bisphenol-A.
EXPERIMENTAL & RESULTS
Two bottles were received and entered into a Laboratory Information Management
System (LIMS) as in Table I. A photograph of the test bottle is shown in Figure 1.
Table I: Sample Designations
Sample ID
Customer Sample ID
20080364-01
Aluminum bottle #1
20080364-02
Aluminum bottle #2
Aluminum bottle #1 (20080364-01) was selected for this test. The bottle was
rinsed with three full bottle volumes of RO water and then filled with 703 ml of RO
water. The wetted internal surface area of the bottle was estimated based on the
bottle dimensions and recorded. The filled bottle was exposed for 3 days in an
environmental chamber (Espec) at 90șC. Following the exposure, the bottle was
removed from the chamber and the water transferred into a clean glass jar. The
exposed water showed no noticeable discoloration and was stored in a refrigerator
until analysis.
Alliance Technologies, LLC
1 Deer Park Drive, Suite D
Monmouth Junction, NJ 08852
732.355.1234 (ph) / 438.8265 (fx)
www.alliancetechgroup.com
R20080364_BPA.doc
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To amplify the detection of any extracted Bisphenol-A, one half of the leachate
(~350mL) was concentrated by trapping BPA on a solid phase extraction (SPE)
column (Oasis HLB WAT106202). The loaded SPE cartridge was eluted with a
methanol/ethylether mixture to release BPA from the cartridge and produce a
highly concentrated sample for analysis.
Figure 1: Gaiam Al Water Bottle
Alliance Technologies, LLC
1 Deer Park Drive, Suite D
Monmouth Junction, NJ 08852
732.355.1234 (ph) / 438.8265 (fx)
www.alliancetechgroup.com
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After extraction and concentration, this leachate was reacted to form a BPA
derivative which was analyzed by GC-MS (Shimadzu 2010S) using a high
temperature capillary column (Phenomenex ZB-5HT). The mass spectral detector
was operated in simultaneous scan and single-ion monitoring (SIM) modes and any
observed BPA was quantified using an external calibration curve and an internal
standard spike. An RO water blank incubated at the same time as the bottle
sample was treated identically to determine a measurement baseline. The limit of
quantification (LOQ) for this method was 2 parts-per-billion (ppb) in the leachate
solution.
A series of BPA standards were prepared by dissolving solid Bisphenol-A (Aldrich,
99+ %) in methanol. These standards were also derivatized and analyzed by GCMS
for calibration. Based on the standards, Bisphenol-A eluted at approximately 8
minutes (Figure 2). Figure 3 shows the calibration curve for the Bisphenol-A
standards.
Figure 4 shows overlaid chromatograms of the RO water blank and the leachate
from the test bottle. Based on these experiments, after 3 days at 90șC, 730ml of
the exposed RO water contained approximately 23.8ppb of BPA, or 0.03ug/cm
2
based on the wetted internal surface area of approximately 487cm
2
.
Figure 2: Select ion chromatograms of derivatized Bisphenol standards
7.5
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7.7
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8
8.1
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80000
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230000
280000
330000
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430000
SIM chromatograms BPA derivative standards
0 ug
0.02 ug
0.2 ug
2 ug
20 ug
Retention time (min.)
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Alliance Technologies, LLC
1 Deer Park Drive, Suite D
Monmouth Junction, NJ 08852
732.355.1234 (ph) / 438.8265 (fx)
www.alliancetechgroup.com
R20080364_BPA.doc
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Figure 3: Derivatized Bisphenol A calibration curve
Figure 2: Select ion chromatograms of RO water blank and derivatized BPA in RO water extract
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0
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SIM chromatograms of RO water blank vs. sample
RO blank
20080364-01
Retention time (min.)
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