Page 33 - Solutions for Plastic Evaluation

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Hazardous SubstancesOrganic Product Evaluation

Substances GC/MS

Analysis of Phthalate Esters in Plastic
Various countries have established regulations to restrict the use of phthalate esters, which are commonly added as plasticizers in
plastic toys and consumer goods. Some of the phthalate esters subject to regulation include DEHP (bis(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate), Plastic Materials Evaluation of
DBP (dibutyl phthalate), BBP (butyl benzyl phthalate), DINP (di-isononyl phthalate), DIDP (di-isodecyl phthalate), and DNOP (di-
n-octyl phthalate). The analytical method typically involves extracting the phthalate esters from the plastic using solvents and
analyzing the extract “as is” or diluted. If concentration levels are relatively high and there are few interfering substances, then
GC-FID can be used for analysis, but plastic samples containing large numbers of interfering substances or phthalate esters such
as DINP or DIDP, which have many isomers, are analyzed using GC/MS.

Instrument Configuration Raw Materials
GCMS-QP2010 Ultra Evaluation of
AOC-20i/s autoinjector
Analytical Conditions
The sample (about 1 g of plastic) is immersed in 50 mL of acetone/hexane (3:7) at 40°C and left over night. Then the extract solution is
diluted to a known volume and injected into the GC/MS system. Product Evaluation

1.0 2 1 DBP
2 DEHP
3 DINP
0.9 TOTM Product Information

0.8

0.7

0.6

0.5
TIC
0.4
149.00
0.3

0.2

0.1
307.00
0.0
5.0 17.0

Example of Analyzing Plastic Toys
TOTM: Trioctyl Trimellitate

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