The Standard – January 2015
Welcome to the January 2015 edition of “The Standard,” our newsletter for issues related to environmental, food, water, and human exposure testing.
Tobacco Specific Nitrosamines
Tobacco smoke contains literally thousands of chemicals, and over the years compounds related to tobacco use have been of great interest to the health community and analytical chemists supporting research in this area. In recent years increased focus has been placed on tobacco-specific nitrosamines (TSNAs) as a major group of carcinogenic compounds found in tobacco and cigarette smoke, as well as smokeless tobacco and related products. With new technologies in place for reducing the use of tobacco products – such as e-cigarettes – researchers will be monitoring levels of TSNAs in the body to evaluate exposure levels of these harmful chemicals over time.
Toxaphene
Toxaphene is a technical mixture containing hundreds of polychlorinated camphenes with chlorination levels ranging from Cl5 to Cl12, although most target congeners range from Cl6 to Cl10. First introduced in the US in 1947, toxaphene was primarily used as an insecticide for cotton and soybean crops. The use of toxaphene in the US was restricted in 1982 and banned entirely in 1990, although it is still permitted for use in very defined circumstances in certain US territories. Restrictions and bans in most of the world were harmonized with the ratification of the first Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants1 (also known as the POPs Treaty) in 2004.
Phthalates
Phthalates are a class of industrial chemicals used to increase the flexibility, transparency, durability, and longevity of plastics. Phthalates were first introduced in the 1920s, with increased popularity upon being used as a component in polyvinylchloride (PVC) beginning in 1931. Phthalates are produced by reacting phthalic anhydride with an alcohol. Although there is no bond present between the phthalate and plastic, the phthalate is physically bound to the plastic during the manufacturing process. The most widely used phthalates are di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP), diisodecyl phthalate (DIDP), and diisononyl phthalate (DINP). DEHP is the dominant plasticizer in PVC, while benzylbutylphthalate (BBP) is used in the manufacture of foamed PVC, commonly used as a flooring material.