Leaching of bisphenol A (BPA) from polycarbonate plastic to water containing amino acids and its degradation by radical oxygen species.

In this study, (1) the change in the concentration of bisphenol A (BPA) leached from polycarbonate plastic (PCP) tube to water samples containing phosphate, sodium barbital, glycine, methionine or albumin at 37 degrees C as a function of time, and (2) the degradation rate of BPA leached from PCP tube to amino acid solutions in the presence of radical oxygen species (ROS) were investigated. The BPA leaching velocity (BPA-LV) from PCP tube to 50 mM glycine at pH 6 or 7 was twice that to control water, and the leaching was enhanced above pH 8. At pH 11, BPA-LV was significantly higher in 50 mM glycine and methionine solutions than in 50 mM NaOH. These results indicate that basic pH and amino acids contained in water could accelerate BPA leaching. The BPA-LV in phosphate buffer was different from the BPA-LVs in other buffers (barbital and glycine) at the same pH. BPA leached to the glycine or methionine solutions at pH 11 was degraded time dependently in a similar manner as the control water in the presence of ROS. The degradation of leached BPA was inhibited in the glycine solution, but was accelerated in the methionine solution. However, degradation of BPA added to freshly prepared methionine was inhibited in a similar manner to BPA in glycine. BPA degradation could be influenced by some kinds of amino acids, but glycine and methionine might be involved in BPA degradation in different ways.