Estrogenic Substances in Plastic Bottles

Abstract: We live in a time were plastic and plastic products are all around us, taking part in our everyday life. Several chemical additives can be present in plastic products, such as plastic bottles, and can have a big impact on development, as well as on the endocrine system in adults by the binding to, and disturbance of, the estrogen receptor (ER) in cells. This study has focused on a number of different plastic bottles made from different types of plastic and with variations in size and scope of use. The aim of the study was to see if any estrogenic substances leached from the bottles into water. Non-ionic water was added to the plastic bottles, and the bottles were kept at 70°C for 72 hours. The estrogenic activity in the water was determined with the U2OS-luc assay and expressed as bioassay-derived estradiol equivalents (Bio-EEQ). A difference in Bio-EEQ could be detected between the bottles and the tree plastic types used in the study. The polypropylene (PP) bottle gave the highest Bio-EEQ of 0.5 pg/ml, whereas High Density Polyethylene (HDPE) gave 0.3 pg/ml and Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET) 0.04 pg/ml. These results indicate that there is a small leakage of estrogenic substances from the plastic bottles. Further study is needed to determine whether or not the estrogenic activity in the water could have any significant biological effect in humans.