Bisphenol-A is an industrial chemical that is widely utilized in products such as resins, plastic bottles, and thermal receipt paper. A study was recently performed at NYU Medical School, testing several different feminine hygiene products including panty liners, tampons, pads, feminine washes and deodorants. One of the results of this study showed that BPA is found in feminine products, and that panty liners contained the highest amount of BPA. This is concerning because BPA exposure in women can lead to the dysfunction of the endocrine and reproductive systems, especially during reproductive and post-menopausal ages. Panty liners come in direct contact with sensitive skin for an extended time, and panty liners are used daily for many women. Furthermore, the vaginal absorption rate is significantly higher than that of any other dermis of the skin. Our laboartory's research sought to monitor the leaching of BPA from panty liners at hourly intervals from 0-4 hours. For each sample, the top layer of three panty liner samples were placed into a 1:1 solution of methanol/water, aliquots were removed over time, and fluorescence intensity data were obtained using the FS-5 spectrofluorometer from Edinburgh Instruments. Each sample was prepared in quadruplicate by submerging the top surface of 3 panty liners into 100 ml of M/W. The top surface of the panty liners was selected because it comes in direct contact with the vulva. Due to the complex matrix of the panty liner materials, this research was conducted using the standard addition method, in which a known volume of the analyte was placed in a flask with varying volumes of a BPA stock solution.

BPA presence in daily use panty liners and its ability to disrupt normal reproductive functioning

ACS Spring 2022

The official archive and repository for all ACS Meetings & Expositions abstracts and select posters or presentations.