Bisphenol A analysis and quantification inconsistencies via HPLC-UV: a systematic review with technical notes

Abstract

Bisphenol A is an organic compound utilized in the manufacture of plastics and resins that gained attention due to its environmental distribution and endocrine disrupting effects. Currently, bisphenol A is listed as toxic in most countries, it persists in waters, soils, and air around the world, hence the need for well-established methods for its detection. The aim of this paper is to conduct a systematic review of the existing open-access literature, examining the extent to which determination and quantification of bisphenol A was performed by high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with a UV detector (HPLC-UV), probably the most prevalent analytical-grade equipment in research facilities. We searched electronic bibliographic databases (PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science), including in our analysis 55 original open-access research articles that met our designated criteria from a total of 3665 records. The screening of articles revealed multiple approaches in bisphenol A detection and quantification via HPLC-UV; 47.27% of the open-access literature on this topic is dedicated to the development of new methods for purification, extraction or preconcentration of BPA from a large variety of samples. It was also observed that UV detectors were set to a variety of wavelengths that do not comply to the specific peaks of phenolic compounds. Therefore, the linearity of these wavelengths was questioned and a technical note comprising spectroscopic and HPLC-UV measurements of bisphenol A was provided, clarifying nonconformities. Results showed that most studies could maintain their reliability when different wavelengths are used, but a careful approach should be considered when referring to the spectrum ranges 200–205 and 296–300 nm (depending on the solvent used) because of peak shifts and linearity issues.

Ingested Microplastics Can Act as Microbial Vectors of Ichthyofauna

“…With the rise in microplastic contamination, concerns have also risen regarding the potential health risks of such exposure. While most recent scientific reports focused on microplastics' (MPs') toxicity in terms of teratogenic effects [4], as well as their accumulation in organs such as the placenta [5], lungs [6] or the intestinal tissues [7], including microplastic-related toxicity represented by endocrine-disrupting effects [8][9][10], fewer scientific releases reported MPs as potential microbial carriers, especially in the case of MPs that have lower density than water, thus being concentrated in the neustonic layer [11].…”