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Influence of temperature and residues of toxic industrial chemicals to the off-gassing behaviour of fumigated consumer products
Project
Project code: BfR-CPS-08-1322-698
Contract period: 01.01.2018
- 31.12.2018
Purpose of research: Experimental development
Most boxed goods transported in global trade were shipped in containers. A large number of these containers is fumigated before loading on board. This is regulated by law in some cases or to prevent pests from conquering the country of importation or to protect the goods. The cargo and its packaging are typically fumigated with a suitable highly-toxic fumigant. This fumigant can be adsorpted on the surface or inside the cargo. The release of the adsorpted fumigant can take place temporally delayed and cause again dangerous concentrations of the fumigant in the air inside the container. Due to this occupational accidents with employees, entering containers soon after opening the doors, were regularly caused. In addition, a cross-contamination with toxic chemicals from the production process is possible in containers with mixed contents. Furthermore, residues of toxic chemicals or fumigants from the previous use or the cleaning of the container may contaminate the following payload. The investigation of 2113 containers in the harbour of Hamburg in 2006 showed, that residues of fumigants and toxic chemicals above the detection limit were found in approximately 70% of the tested containers. In some cases the measured concentrations of one or more chemicals of concern were a acute health risk. In previous projects only one fumigant at the time was studied. Nothing is known about possible combination effects like for example a higher uptake or a slower release of a fumigant in presence of the vapor of an organic solvent. One finding of the previous studies was a big different between the amount of adsorpted and released fumigant. A possible explanation for this is an incomplete desorption caused by the temperature used in the study. In the past the experiments were done at temperatures between 5 °C and room temperature. The fate of the remaining part of the fumigant/toxic chemicals in the consumer goods would necessitate the inclusion of the dermal and if necessary the oral exposure route in the risk assessment. During the project the influence of fumigant mixtures to the desorption profiles compared to the use of only one fumigant will be studied. Also, the effect of increasing the temperature during the desorption experiments with outgassed consumer goods will be investigated. Red grapes were fumigated for 48h using 2000ppm phosphine. Similar to the experiments with sunflower seeds a rapid desorption of the fumigant was observed. Already three days after fumigation only very small amounts of phosphine desorption could be detected. The results show, that a multivariate statistical approach (Fisher's discriminant analysis) could be used to separate unfumigated from fumigated (direct after fumigatiion, 3 days aerated samples, 35 aerated samples)samples. Differences in the VOC profile are predominantly caused, similarly as with sunflower seeds, by an significant increase in terpenes (i.e. terpinene) in comparison to unexposed samples as well as in an significant increase in aldehyde levels (i.e. trans-2-methylbutyl-2-enal. Significant inceased levels manifest themselves especially after 35 days of aeration. An opposite effect, a significant decrease in desorption levels, could be observed with alcohols. Hex-2-en-ol desorption decreased significantly in comparison to unexposed samples to only 5% of the amount of unexposed samples after 35 days. A workshop on container fumigation was held on November 16, 2018. High concentrations of particulary 1,2-Dichloroethane in containers were reported.
Section overview
Subjects
- Food Chemistry
- Biotechnology
- Toxicology
