Chlorinated Paraffins in Takeout Food and its Packaging in China and Dietary Exposure Risk

Abstract

Chlorinated paraffins (CPs) are hazardous to humans and are widely found as contaminants in food. Takeout food is popular worldwide, but the presence of CPs in takeout food and its packaging is unclear. In this study, the concentrations and distributions of short- and median-chain CPs (SCCPs and MCCPs, respectively) were measured in 97 samples of four categories of takeout food and 33 samples of three types of takeout packaging. The SCCP and MCCP concentrations, respectively, for the takeout food samples were 44.1–802 and 52.2-445 ng/g wet weight (ww) in meat, 2.7–5080 and 3.6–5180 ng/g ww in starch, 35.1–395 and 56.6–429 ng/g ww in half meat/half starch, and 33.9–1320 and 48.8–8080 ng/g ww in vegetables. Takeout food contained higher concentrations of SCCPs than MCCPs. The dominant SCCP and MCCP congeners in takeout food were C10Cl6–7 and C14Cl7–8, respectively. The CP concentrations in takeout food were lower than those in packaging. The SCCP and MCCP concentrations, respectively, in packaging were 170–1.61 × 106 and 26.0–2.98 × 104 ng/g in polypropylene, 835–4.87 × 103 and 31.5–1.76 × 103 ng/g in paper, and 107–3.00 × 103 and 62.0–489 ng/g in aluminum foil. The concentrations of SCCPs in MCCPs in were comparable in aluminum foil, whereas the concentrations of SCCPs were higher than those of MCCPs in polypropylene and paper. Correlations between CP concentrations in the takeout food and packaging indicated that CPs in packaging were potentially an important source of CPs in the takeout food. A dietary exposure risk assessment showed the takeout food posed a low risk for human exposure to CPs; however, high-frequency consumption may pose a health risk.

Keywords: Short-chain chlorinated paraffin, Medium-chain chlorinated paraffin, Takeout food, Packaging, Health risk