Volatile Substances in Polymer Toys Made from Butadiene and Styrene

Yutaka Abe, Miku Yamaguchi, Motoh Mutsuga, Hiroshi Akiyama, Yoko Kawamura

Division of Food Additives, National Institute of Health Sciences, Tokyo, Japan.

DOI: 10.4236/ajac.2013.45029                

Abstract

The residual levels and migration behavior of volatile substances were detected using HS-GC/MS for acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene copolymer (ABS) toys, thermoplastic elastomer toys, and rubber toys made from 1,3-butadiene and styrene found on the Japanese market. The maximum residual level of these volatile substances was 2600 μg/g of styrene in ABS toys. In particular, the levels of known carcinogens 1,3-butadiene, benzene, and acrylonitrile are 5.3, 2.5 and 55 μg/g, which are much lower than the EU limit of 0.1%. Furthermore, some volatile substances migrated from ABS toys into water in amounts of 3 -40 ng/mL. Thermoplastic elastomer toys and rubber toys contained these volatile substances at significantly lower levels than ABS toys.

Keywords

Volatile Substance; Toy; Acrylonitrile-Butadiene-Styrene Copolymer (ABS); Thermoplastic Elastomer; Rubber

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

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