Polypropylene Containers Leak Oleamide

[Philomath]

Researchers raise alarm after chemical leak found in common plastic

Medical researchers at the University of Alberta say that two chemicals leaking from plastic laboratory equipment, quaternary ammonium biocides and oleamide, were so biologically active they ruined a drug experiment.

The inadvertent discovery could have wide-ranging consequences because the chemicals causing the experiment to go awry were leaching from polypropylene, one of the most commonly used plastics in the world. Besides being found in scientific equipment, the plastic is used to make everything from yogurt tubs to clothing.

The findings were so alarming to the researchers, from the university's faculty of medicine, that they issued a warning yesterday in the journal Science, alerting others scientists to the possibility that contaminants from plastic ware in their laboratories could put experiments at risk.

 

[Travis]

Researchers raise alarm after chemical leak found in common plastic

Medical researchers at the University of Alberta say that two chemicals leaking from plastic laboratory equipment, quaternary ammonium biocides and oleamide, were so biologically active they ruined a drug experiment.

The inadvertent discovery could have wide-ranging consequences because the chemicals causing the experiment to go awry were leaching from polypropylene, one of the most commonly used plastics in the world. Besides being found in scientific equipment, the plastic is used to make everything from yogurt tubs to clothing.

The findings were so alarming to the researchers, from the university's faculty of medicine, that they issued a warning yesterday in the journal Science, alerting others scientists to the possibility that contaminants from plastic ware in their laboratories could put experiments at risk.

Oh god, oleamide is known to cause Sicilian encephalopathy in low concentrations.. . just look at what happened to John Travolta.

Not enough is known about the two substances leaking from the plastic - quaternary ammonium biocides and oleamide - to know what hazard, if any, they might pose through exposure to consumer products made from polypropylene.

They're kidding right? There's been hundreds of articles published on oleamide, and a hyphen is not an em dash.

It's very difficult to say whether we should be worried from a health point of view about this," said Andrew Holt, the paper's lead researcher and an assistant professor of pharmacology.

It's actually quite easy when considering that humans have a circulating oleamide concentration of 31.7 μg per milliliter (112 μM),⁽¹⁾ and also that oleamide is routinely added to polypropylene at .15% by mass.⁽²⁾ This means of course—assuming a blood volume of 5 litres—that at the worst possible scenario, you'd have to fully leach-out 106 grams of finely-divided polypropylene to match our endogenous circulating level. After considering further that oleamide only leaches into olive oil at 1.4 milligrams per liter per square decimetre polyethylene, and not at all into aqueous samples,⁽³⁾ you'd have to force 1.81 liters of olive through 57 meters of ¹⁄₄ inch low-density polyethylene tubing to achieve an amount of oleamide to match circulating concentrations.

[1] Arafat, E. S. "Identification of fatty acid amides in human plasma." Life Sciences (1989)

'These GC data correlate to the following quantities of the amides: 3.9 (GC peak A), 4.4 (B), 31.7 (C), 3.7 (D), and 2.2 (E) μg amide ml⁻¹ plasma (n=2). Clearly, the C₁₈∶₁ amide dominates the plasma fatty acid amide content.' ―Arafat​

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Takahashi, T. "Improved soiling resistance of polypropylene fibers on the addition of synthetic compounds." Textile Research Journal (2012)

'On the addition of 0.15 wt% oleamide, the breaking strength of Fiber L was 0.2 g/dtex, which was lower than that of Fiber A.' ―Takahashi​

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[3] Cooper, Ian. "Migration studies on fatty acid amide slip additives from plastics into food simulants." Food Additives & Contaminants (1995)

'The studies showed that migration into aqueous food simulants was at a not-detectable level, but into fat simulant the threshold value of 0.05 mg/L, where additional toxicological data are required, was exceeded.' ―Cooper

'Exposure of the plastics test specimens to the food simulants was performed using single side migration cells, although the low density polyethylene (LDPE) samples containing oleamide and erucamide were also tested by total immersion. All migration tests were conducted in triplicate. The migration tests were conducted using the conventional EC surface area to simulant volume of 6 dm² to 1 L, except for tests on LDPE containing oleamide, stearamide and erucamide, where the ratio used was 2 dm² to 100 ml—the overall migration test ratio.' ―Cooper​

​

'Ms. Sutton expressed concern that exposing people to extra oleamide might alter brain function.

Is she serious? Oral oleamide is hydrolyzed enterally to ammonia and oleic acid.⁽⁴⁾

[4] Cooper, Ian. "Hydrolysis studies on oleamide in simulated gastrointestinal fluids." Food Additives & Contaminants (1995)

'Croda also submitted results from exploratory studies conducted in their laboratories which indicated that significant hydrolysis of oleamide occurs in the simulated intestinal fluid and that increased hydrolysis would be expected by incorporating 'bile salts' into the fluid to aid dispersion of the water-insoluble oleamide.' ―Cooper

'It has been demonstrated that loss of oleamide by enzymatic hydrolysis occurs with stoichiometric formation of oleic acid. [...] This also confirms, by inference, that the other hydrolysis product is ammonia, which is also considered to be a toxicologically innocuous substance.' ―Cooper

'The levels of hydrolysis found are likely to be slightly underestimated owing to a small interfering peak with the same retention time as oleamide, for which no correction has been made, and possible small loss of the internal standard in processing of the samples.' ―Cooper

'These findings together with the rapid initial loss observed indicate that oleamide is unlikely to pose a threat to the health of the consumer, when ingested at the very low levels expected to migrate into most foods from food packaging.' ―Cooper

'Oleamide has been found to hydrolyse to a level of about 95% in simulated intestinal preparations containing 4 X USP activity pancreatin and 0.5 g/1 'bile salts'.' ―Cooper​

​

The findings were so alarming to the researchers, from the university's faculty of medicine, that they issued a warning yesterday in the journal Science,

Alarming? It had been demonstrated over twenty years ago that oleamide is 95% hydrolyzed upon digestion.⁽⁴⁾ Is Andrew Holt a real professor of pharmacology? or just one of those Frank Abagnale types posing as one?

The inadvertent discovery...

And is Martin Mittelstaedt a real journalist?

 

[rei]

This means of course—assuming a blood volume of 5 litres—that at the worst possible scenario, you'd have to fully leach-out 106 grams of finely-divided polypropylene to match our endogenous circulating level.

Dude, think a bit before posting. It is 160 mg not g !!!

 

[paymanz]

Damn everyday one new chemical found to be leached from plastics.

Some times i think maybe its better to stop drinking milk because of plastic jugs.

 

[Travis]

Dude, think a bit before posting. It is 160 mg not g !!!

Uh no, the answer is 106 grams.

It's actually quite easy when considering that humans have a circulating oleamide concentration of 31.7 μg per milliliter (112 μM),⁽¹⁾ and also that oleamide is routinely added to polypropylene at .15% by mass.⁽²⁾

circulating concentration = 31.7·μg/mL

circulating mass = 31.7·μg/mL × 5·L = 159·mg

.15 per cent = .15/100 = .0015​

Below is a simple algebraic expression, roughly translating into: 'What multiplied by oleamide's concentration in plastic equals a human's circulating mass of same?'

X × .0015 = 159·mg

X = 159·mg/.0015

X = 106,000·mg

X = 106·g​

Dude, think a bit before posting. It is 160 mg not g !!!

Dude, think a bit before replying next time.

 

[rei]

This means of course—assuming a blood volume of 5 litres—that at the worst possible scenario, you'd have to fully leach-out 106 grams of finely-divided oleamide to match our endogenous circulating level.

Sorry, i was too tired.

 

[Philomath]

And is Martin Mittelstaedt a real journalist?

That I doubt

 

[Travis]

That I doubt

The thing is that bothered was that The Globe and Mail had framed this as a 'discovery,' yet the plastic industries have been freely using oleamide—not even hiding—it for over twenty years. Even though oleamide could interfere with in vitro cell studies due to its established high-potency modulation of 5-HT receptors, it reliably becomes deaminated upon digestion. Consuming trace amounts of oleamide then becomes tantamount to consuming trace amounts of oleic acid (18∶1ω−9) and ammonia (NH₃), together, two things found in most natural foods in log order greater amounts.