Question

1. Bisphenol A is a plasticizer widely used in polycarbonate water bottles and liners in metal food cans. A plasticizer is a chemical blended with plastic polymers to make the plastic softer and more pliable. Out of health concerns, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is currently considering tightening regulations on bisphenol A use and lowering human exposure limits. a) Assuming your blood serum is similar to water, what is the maximum concentration of bisphenol A that could be present in your blood serum? Assume bisphenol A behaves most like a polychlorinated biphenyl. b) Assuming your fatty tissues are similar in polarity to octanol, what would be the equilibrium concentration of bisphenol A in your fatty tissues if your blood serum contained the concentration you calculated in part a? Comment

Answer 1

Since bisphenol is assume to be Polychlorinated biphenyl and blood serum to be similar to water, maximum concentration of bisphenol A in blood serum would nothing but

Maximum solubility of Polychlorinated biphenyl compound in water which is given by literature as a very low solubility value of (2.7 * 10^-12 g/L - 4.2 * 10^-10 g/L]

[Note: given in literature as 0.0027-0.42 ng/L]

Polychlorinated biphenyls being non-polar organic compounds, have high solubilities in most organic solvents, oils, and fats.

Assuming 1 gram of PCB enteres into blood serum, only 0.0027-0.42 ng enteres into 1 litre of blood serum, then the remaining enteres into fatty tissues

So 10⁹ ng - (0.0027 ng) = 999,999,999. 9973 ng = upper limit of PCB in fatty tissues

10⁹ ng - (0.42 g) = 999,999,999.58 ng = lower limit of PCB in fatty tissues

Amost all the 1 gram PCB introduced into body is present in fat is evident from these values

these values show that PCBs , in a way Bisphenol A readily dissolve in fats and almost all it dissolves into body fat and very very meagre amount is present in blood serum